Save me from myself
by HuddyJibbsAddict
Summary: Sleeping Curse reversal where Regina takes David's place and goes to sleep, never expecting to be woken up, but stubborness is a family trait and you don't give up on family. Henry and David will do everything to bring her back. What happened for Prince Charming to see the Evil Queen under a different light? (chapter 2 rated M, chapter 5 now on)
1. Let the sleeping Queens lie

_For Day 6 of the EC week Sleeping Curse or when Regina takes David's place and goes to sleep forever... or does she? Evil Charming, Regal Believer, Snow Queen, Charming Believer family. This is part of a two-shots, the second part (and technically the prequel to this one) is coming on Sunday._

 _Many, many thanks to my darling LillieGreyfor her beta work and to Lolymoon for her live reactions and encouragements._

 _First attempt at Evil Charming, I hope you like it._

Disclaimer: OUAT and its characters are not mine, no matter how much I wish they were.

* * *

 **Let the sleeping Queens lie**

It was calling to her, as if whispering her name, and she vaguely recalled a similar scene in that poor imitation of the Sleeping Beauty story she had watched with Henry when he was little.

Regina knew it didn't happen that way, after all, she had been there when Maleficent had gotten her revenge on Briar Rose's daughter, but she could still feel a pull towards the sharp needle on the spinwheel. After all the trouble it had caused her to let go of magic, she had been asked to use it again, 'for a good cause.' It was her curse, she made it herself in a rare moment of bonding time with her son, but she sensed it turning against her.

She wondered if it was because the intended victim was supposed to be David. Things had shifted so much between them since Snow and Emma fell down that portal. He was her friend in a way; they had crossed a line very recently, a moment of weakness she regretted as soon as she had woken up the next morning.

She could only hope that David would keep quiet, that he wouldn't use it against her to separate her from Henry again after his wife and daughter's return. Although he was as willing as she was. There was never a second where she doubted he wanted this as much she did.

She had been grieving Daniel, again, not that she ever really stopped, the loss even more violent and traumatic since she was the one who had to end his life once and for all. David had shown more understanding than she would have thought him capable of. He had been a welcomed distraction, but she felt weak and foolish for giving in and letting this happen. If Snow ever found out, Regina knew she would be the one on whom the blame would fall, and she shuddered at the thought of what it would mean.

She was vaguely aware of Henry and David talking, her son giving his grandfather the necklace supposed to keep the flames of the netherworld at bay, and of Rumplestiltskin's eyes on her as she stepped closer and closer to the shining pin.

She didn't even realise when she raised her hand and pricked her index finger. She looked down at the drop of blood, the slight pain only just registering in her troubled mind. She felt her eyelids becoming heavier and heavier until she couldn't lift them up anymore. She went to sleep hearing three people cry out her name in various states of panic, fear and concern, with only one thought in her mind: that Henry wouldn't have to be afraid of anything going wrong for his grandfather in the limbo of the cursed world she just condemned herself to.

She was never aware of the two strong arms that broke her fall.

* * *

Stupid woman, David thought as he laid her down on the small cot while Henry covered her with the blanket she had brought from home for him. "Why the hell would she do that?" he asked Gold, without turning from the dark haired woman lying lifeless in front of him.

"I have long since stopped trying to understand this woman," Gold replied, and it was supposed to sound uninterested and uncaring, but after throwing a quick glance to the side, David saw that the Dark One couldn't look away from Regina either, and his frown was definitely not indifferent.

"How is she going to wake up now? She doesn't have a true love," Henry inquired, biting his lip to stop it from trembling and David pulled the boy against him.

"We will find a way," he tried to reassure him, adding in his mind "You've got to stop scaring the boy like that, Regina."

"What's going to happen to her there?" Henry continued, this time towards the shop owner. "Will she be in the room in flames?"

"Not exactly," Rumplestiltskin answered. "This room is only accessible to those who have been woken from the curse."

David bristled. "Why didn't you tell us that before?"

"Did I not? Must have slipped my mind."

The Prince snorted. "Of course, it did. How will she find the room and Snow then?"

"Well, that's a little conundrum we are all counting on her to solve. I'm sure our dear Queen is more than capable of rising to the challenge. The question is: will she want to?" Gold taunted and both David and Henry's eyes widened.

"You don't think she would do that just to not follow the plan, do you?"

"Don't tell me that possibility hasn't crossed your mind? Since when are you so trusting of Regina?"

David stayed silent, his jaw crossed, glaring at the man.

"Hmmm, interesting…"

Henry looked between the two of them, without understanding. "Is she going to be okay?"

"We will make sure she is," David replied and he was surprised to find that he meant it. When did that happen? He took off the necklace that Henry gave him moments ago and put it around Regina's neck.

"She will need it more than I," he told his grandson, who hugged him in response.

* * *

Regina woke in a dark room, it took her a few seconds to adapt to her surroundings. Some torches on the walls gave the room a faint glow. She took one of them to examine the setting. She startled when she came face to face with her image in a mirror.

Actually, all the walls were covered in mirrors. Her reflections staring at her from all sides, she felt a violent shudder when she studied them more closely and realised that each mirror represented a different time of her life. Her young self, back when Daniel was still alive, another on the day of her wedding, another right after Leopold's death and it went on and on, the milestones of her life staring, fixed barely moving. She was suffocating. She needed to get out of here and fast.

A necklace appeared around her neck and she recognized it, her heart squeezed a bit when she realised Henry probably put it there. She felt calmer with it and she closed her eyes to ignore the visions torturing her.

She needed to find the room in flames, give the message to Snow and be done with it. The necklace felt heavier all of a sudden, she opened her eyes and looked down at it, it was glowing a faint blue light, she moved and it glowed even more, pulling towards the ground. She crouched down slowly and felt some warmth which seemed to emanate from the soil. She let her hand hover just above the ground and almost burned herself at the contact.

What she was looking for must be below, she thought. She used the heavy torch to hit the ground and a crack appeared. She repeated the action until a hole was formed. She lost her footing and fell through the opening she created, letting go of the torch and clutching the necklace so no damage would come to it, landing harshly in a huge room. Her vision filled with red, as she she found herself surrounded by giant flames.

The heat was unbearable, the flames licking at her from all sides, she tried to protect her face with her arm, holding the necklace with the other. She focused and the flames obeyed her, withering away.

She heard a voice calling Henry's name and looking up, she saw Snow standing at the other end of the room. She took a few steps towards her former step daughter, who gasped as she recognized her.

"Regina? What are you doing here? I thought Henry…"

"Well, you thought wrong," Regina interrupted rudely, barely a minute in the younger woman's presence and she was already fed up. "Spending too much time in this room was hurting _my son_ ," she put as much emphasis on the last two words as possible, and the way Snow tensed let her know she had made her point. "I wasn't about to let him come back here."

"Why you? Why not David? You won't be able to wake up from this! You don't have a true love," she exclaimed and Regina grimaced.

"Thanks to you, I don't," she snapped. "Does it really matter whether I wake up or not? Wouldn't it make all your dreams come true if I didn't? Finally rid of the Evil Step Mother who ruined your life? Free to live your little fairytale with your Prince Charming, your perfect precious daughter and my son?" She spat, making Snow recoil.

"You know that has never been what I wanted! All I wished for was to get back the girl who saved me from a runaway horse."

"You destroyed that girl!" Regina screamed. "You and Cora and your father and Rumplestiltskin, you all destroyed that girl and she is not coming back! It's high time you should realise that," she yelled angrily, pointing her finger at Snow with emphasis. "Not that it's going to be a problem anymore," she added under her breath.

"The fact that you're here tells me that she might not be as far away as you believe she is," Snow told her softly and Regina rolled her eyes.

"Only you would see it that way. This is pointless! Listen, and listen well because I will only say this once. Last time Henry was here, he couldn't tell your friend about Gold's idea to defeat my mother. You're going to have to use the same trick as when you trapped him," she explained.

"With the enchanted quill?" Snow asked.

Regina glared at the interruption, causing the girl to lower her eyes. "It wasn't the quill, it was the ink. Squid ink, he managed to store some of it, you will find it in his cell."

Snow nodded. "Squid ink, in the Dark One's cell, got it. Anything else we should know?"

Regina smirked. "One last thing, if you let Cora come to Storybrooke and any harm comes to my son because of it, I will haunt you until you draw your last breath, am I clear?"

Snow gulped. "Yes, very clear." Just then, she felt a pull. "I'm waking up," she said.

"Then go. Henry will be happy to see you again," the words almost stuck in her throat and her eyes burned with unshed tears at the thought that Snow would never have to struggle for Henry's affection, it would be freely given, no conditions required.

She was handing her happy ending to the person she tried so hard to destroy on a plate, with the Prince and her son and her town. What the hell was wrong with her?

"Regina," Snow called out and the Queen abhorred the expression on the girl's face, she could never stand pity. "Thank you for doing this for me, for us."

"Just go," she growled. The moment the Princess disappeared, she fell on her knees, sobbing, a hand pressed against her mouth.

She was stuck here forever, no one to kiss her awake, no one who cared enough to want to do it.

* * *

They kept vigil by Regina's bedside, looking for a sign, something that would let them know she succeeded and found Snow to deliver the message, but there was nothing.

If they didn't know any better they would believe her to be dead and David caught Henry trying to check her breathing once or twice.

The boy blamed himself, that much was obvious. David hadn't been able to get much out of him but he had heard Henry whisper that he was sorry, that he never wanted all of this to happen.

David wasn't really sure how to feel about the whole thing. He had spent so much time fighting against Regina in Snow's name, and then suddenly during the curse, as David Nolan, he had considered her a friend. He still saw, more and more lately, the woman who had offered him comfort and advice, no matter what her true agenda at the time was.

And then of course there was the not so small business of the night they spent together. He hadn't expect anything of the sort to happen when he went to the Manor that evening to make sure she was alright after the gruesome encounter with her former not quite dead fiancé. Finally understanding the whole truth of the origin of Regina and Snow's feud felt like a shock of ice water running through his veins. He wondered why his wife never told him the whole story; he had put some pieces together on his own, but the whole picture had eluded him until then.

It certainly put things in perspective..

He knew that Regina regretted their shared moment of weakness as she called it, and apart from throwing him out of her bed the next morning, she hadn't wanted to speak a single word about it and pretended it never occurred.

He wouldn't be as categoric. He cheated on Snow, and he certainly wasn't comfortable with the idea, but he wouldn't go as far as to say he wished it never happened. He had felt a connection with Regina that night, had gotten a glimpse of the person she used to be, the person Snow had met and wanted so much to find again, the person Daniel had loved.

As crazy as it sounded, he was beginning to trust Regina, he knew she would do anything to make Henry happy and he had relied heavily on that during their search for a way to bring back his family. With her being out of the game, he only had Rumplestiltskin to count on and he didn't like the idea much. He couldn't vent his frustration at getting absolutely nowhere to the Dark One the way he could with Regina.

He needed her, he needed his friend, or David Nolan's friend. He would have to ask Belle if she knew any means to wake someone from a sleeping curse, apart from True Love's kiss.

* * *

She didn't know how long she stayed there, on the ground, the flames roaring back to Life around her as she sobbed to her heart's content. As the last few tears leaked from her eyes, a sound broke her trance and she looked up to see a door opening at the other end of the room.

Her curiosity got the better of her and she got up to investigate. The door slammed shut behind her the moment she stepped over the threshold. She found herself standing in the Storybrooke stables, and her blood ran cold.

Right in her front of her, she saw herself being strangled by Daniel, the scene, the memory really, playing in slow motion in such a way she could almost feel his fingers closing around her throat again. She stood, rooted in place, watching, until the moment Daniel pronounced his last words, "Love again", and she couldn't stand it anymore. She closed her eyes and screams invaded her ears, _her_ screams in a much younger voice. Turning towards the sound, she knew what she would find. She was unfortunately right, her seventeen years old self was indeed there, cradling Daniel's body in her arms, unable to accept what her mother had just done.

Once more, she had the desperate instinct to flee, but the door she had just come through was tightly shut and wouldn't budge. She walked backwards, looking from one side, with her Storybrooke self crying over the ashes that were all that remained of Daniel, to the other, with the young girl who couldn't let go of her love's dead body.

Her back collided against a strong chest, startling her. She swirled round and came face to face with another Daniel and her jaw dropped.

"But, but..." She stammered. "What's going on? How are you here?"

"I brought you here," he replied and the cruel smile he sported had nothing to do with the man she knew and loved.

"What? Why would you do that?" She breathed.

"To show you who you really are. That's twice you have killed me, Regina. A murderer, that's what you are," Daniel accused, seizing her arms.

Regina paled. "Daniel, please stop, you're hurting me. You are not making any sense," she pleaded.

"This is just retribution for your awful actions," a voice she knew all too well intervened and unpleasant shivers invaded her.

Leopold appeared, horribly disfigured and discolored, leftovers from his gruesome end at the fangs of the Agraban viper.

"You did this to me, you horrible, evil Witch. After all I did for you; you never wanted for anything when you were my Queen," he spat, his once honeyed and sweet tone nowhere to be heard.

"Except love and respect," Regina found the strength to retort and tried to struggle against Daniel, who only tightened his hold.

"Love is weakness, my darling. You should know that by now," Cora came into view. "Look where loving that son of yours got you. You are stuck here, to pay for your sins. You tried to have your own mother killed, you ripped your father's heart out, what kind of person does that?"

It was becoming too much to bear for Regina. The three crowded her.

"Murderer. Evil. Weak," they chanted. "Murderer. Evil. Weak," again and again, trying to drive her mad, but the voice of her son broke through the fog.

* * *

Henry, despite David's insistence, had categorically refused to move away from his mother's side. How was he supposed to go to school and focus on anything when three quarters of his family were either lost in another realm or in their own mind?

His grandpa had found nothing to refute that and went off to find Belle for some research purpose he hadn't wanted to talk about, leaving him in charge of watching over his mother.

"Mom, I'm not sure if you can hear me, I know I could hear some people sometimes, I could hear you. I just wanted to say that I hope you're okay and we will find a way to bring you back, you won't stay there forever, I promise," Henry waited for a reaction and sighed when there was none.

He got up to explore around the shop, his naturally curious mind feeling at home in such a mysterious place. He let his fingers run along shelves, gathering some dust, stopping here and there to pick up an object, until he noticed a chest on one of the counters. He opened it and discovered several wands stocked there, he recognized one from Cinderella's story and he pulled it out, studying the blue handle and the glass body.

"You shouldn't touch objects like that all on your own. Those are dangerous and unpredictable," Mr Gold said and Henry jumped, not having noticed the shop's owner standing right behind him.

"I'm sorry, I was just passing the time," the boy replied sheepishly.

Gold's expression softened a bit. "No changes with your mother I gather?"

Henry shook his head. "Nothing. I just wish there was something I could do to help, I feel so useless."

"The best thing you can do is look after her, stay safe, and let us handle the rest," Rumple countered, and there was something in the way he said it that gave Henry pause.

He frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"Just that we don't know if your mother was able to give the message to Snow White. We can't be sure who will get through the portal back to Storybrooke."

"I know they will do it, good always defeats evil, Emma and Mary Margaret will make it," Henry stated forcefully.

"You have a strong faith, as all children do, but you don't know Cora like we do. She is powerful and remorseless, she will stop at nothing to get what she wants," Gold explained, a hint of impatience in his voice.

"Including hurting them?" Henry asked.

"Including that," the older man nodded. "There is a very strong possibility that Cora will be the one to come through, and with your mother in her current state, I fear her reaction even more."

"Mom gave Mary Margaret the message and she and Emma will defeat Cora just like always. They always find a way," Henry refused to accept anything else and it made Gold smile, but even the boy could see it wasn't sincere.

"Just don't touch anything without permission."

Henry recognized the dismissal for what it was and returned to the back room, thoughts swirling in his ever active mind.

* * *

David came back to the shop, feeling defeated. Hours of research in the library with Belle, looking for a way to wake Regina led nowhere. He was no closer to having his family back and had no solution to break the sleeping felt like a failure to Henry.

He found his grandson exactly where he left him, frowning at his brunette mother as if he could wake her by sheer mind power.

"Your face will be stuck like that permanently if you keep going," David told him, trying to break the gloomy mood.

"Did Belle find something to bring back Mom?" Henry inquired, not looking up, the lines on his forehead smoothing slightly.

David's eyebrows flew up. "How did you know that's what we were doing?"

The boy shrugged. "I figured. It was pretty obvious, what else could be important enough for you to leave me in charge here."

"Whenever did you get so smart?" David asked, impressed, and not for the first time, at his grandson's cleverness.

"I guess Mom didn't do such a bad job raising me," Henry replied, smiling down at his mother, taking one of her unusually cold hands in his to warm her up.

"Yes, I guess so," David approved, sitting down on the cot to imitate Henry, he adjusted the blanket over her feet and took Regina's other hand.

"What's the deal between you and Mom anyway? You two have been weird lately," the ten years old seemed way older when he studied David so closely, looking for any reactions on his part.

"I don't know what you mean. We have been civil, some would even say friendly," he answered, not meeting Henry's gaze, wondering where this would lead.

"I know but still, she has been avoiding you lately. Ever since the thing at the stables happened," the boy continued, undeterred by his grandfather's evasive reply.

"That was very hard for your mother Henry. You know she stayed home for a while after that," David explained carefully.

His grandson sighed, frustrated. "I know that, but it's just... You went there that night, and ever since things have been weird, you're both so polite and you never stay alone in the same room together and I didn't pay too much attention to that before because it was just Mom being Mom and doing things her way, but now, with what she did...I guess I just want to make sure that nothing happened that I don't know about," he rambled quickly, leaving the interim Sheriff a bit stunned.

"I tried to make sure your mother was alright, I stayed until I was certain she would be okay on her own, that's all. I don't know why your mother went under the sleeping curse, but you can be damn sure we will ask her when she wakes up," it wasn't the whole truth, far from it, but there was no way David would confess it to Henry. Whatever happened between him and Regina, was for the both of them to discuss, if she ever decided to be an adult about it, instead of avoiding him.

"You really think we can do it? Wake her?" Henry asked, brown orbs full of hope.

"It's the family motto, son. We always find a way."

The ringing of his cellphone broke the moment. He answered it, frowning in confusion at the rapid speech that greeted him.

"What do you mean gone? How can all the diamonds have disappeared like that?" He asked and Henry's eyes widened, he jumped up and ran towards the front of the shop.

"It's gone," he said a moment later. "He took it."

"Who, Henry? What do you mean?"

"Mr Gold, he has some magic wands in a chest and there is one missing, he must have used it to take the fairy dust from the mines."

"Why would he do that?"

"He doesn't think Emma and Mary Margaret can beat Cora, he said even he fears how she will react if she comes through and finds Mom like that."

"So he is going to try and stop that from ever happening. You heard that guys?" David asked the dwarves on the other end of the line. When he received a positive reply, he told them to meet him in the woods. "The portal must be the well, where the magic came back from," he had barely hung up when Henry was already heading towards the door. "You're not coming, Henry. Your mom would have my head, both of them," but it was too late, Henry left just as Belle was opening the door.

David sighed, grabbed his sword and his gun, and threw one last look at Regina. "The stubbornness, he got that from you. Look after her, please," he added to Belle as he passed by her, not taking the time to clear up her confusion.

He ignored every speed limit on the way, got a few angry honks in reply to his reckless driving, and prayed that nothing would happen with Henry in the car with him. They  
met with Ruby and Grumpy and all sprinted towards the well.

They got there just as Gold was raising the wand in the air and David tackled him without thinking, taking the sorcerer by surprise, and they both rolled on the ground, the wand falling from Gold's hand.

The Dark One managed to get his bearings back just as Ruby was reaching for the fallen instrument and he called it back to him with magic.

"I won't let you put my family at risk, Gold. Stop whatever you intended to do," David ordered.

"You will be putting everyone at risk if it's Cora who comes through, there will be nothing you can do to stop her from destroying everyone you care for, at her leisure. I am certain she intends to bring your dear wife's heart on a platter for Regina," Gold argued, raising the wand again but David hit it with his sword.

"Snow and Emma are stronger than that, they can beat Cora. We beat you and Regina, why would it be different?"

"And yet we were both still standing, until very recently, weren't we? Tell me, Dearie, how exactly do you think you have defeated us?"

David's only answer was to attack, hoping he could break the wand somehow, but the fragile looking glass seemed to absorb every hit and was left intact.

Grumpy and Ruby tried to help him, distracting the wizard long enough to allow David to charge again. It lasted until Henry suddenly screamed "Look!"

They all turned towards the well, where they could hear the water boiling and suddenly a hand appeared, followed by a arm wearing a red leather sleeve, the rest of Emma Swan was soon to follow. She got out of the well and helped Mary Margaret do the same, who immediately ran to David to kiss him.

"I knew it! I knew you would succeed," Henry exclaimed, throwing himself at Emma, who only seemed to realise who was also standing there.

"What's going on here?" She asked, looking from her father's sword, hanging by his side, to Gold's wand, to Ruby and Grumpy, out of breath, leaning with their hands on their knees.

"Not all of us here," David answered, throwing a dark look at Gold. "Thought that you would triumph over Cora."

"Well, it was a close thing. That woman is a piece of work!" Emma said and Henry hugged her tighter against him.

"I'm glad you stopped her from coming here and hurting Mom."

"Regina is still asleep?" Snow asked her husband, who nodded.

"Yeah, Belle and I looked everywhere, but apart from True Love's kiss there is no other way," he answered, looking sadly at Henry.

"She seemed pretty resigned to that when I saw her," Snow told them.

"What did she say?" David asked, trying to control the eagerness in his tone.

"Not much, she wasn't happy to see me, but she told me what we needed to know. She seemed convinced that I would be glad to see her under the spell unable to wake up."

"And are you?" David inquired cautiously.

"Of course not," Snow asserted. "You know that! I always believed she could change and I do think this proves that I was right. The Regina who cast the curse would have never helped us like that."

David felt uneasy when his wife spoke so warmly about Regina. He knew how much Snow regretted that her relationship with her former stepmother went sour, especially since she didn't understand why for a long time. The guilt hit him suddenly and he realised that their actions could break this newfound willingness of Snow to give Regina a second chance. A sleeping curse did sound like a nice escape right then.

"I wanted to go back to sleep to find her but we didn't have enough time." Snow went on, unaware of her husband's dark thoughts.

"I tried too," Henry admitted. "I couldn't find her."

"Henry," David scolded gently, pushing away his dilemma for now. "You know that's not what she wants."

"I just didn't want her to be alone."

All the adults looked down, moved, but not all ready to admit it.

"Well, then we should head back to the shop," David announced.

The drive back was filled with exchanged stories from the Enchanted Forest and what the women missed in Storybrooke. When David said a few words about Daniel's return, all the occupants stayed silent for a long moment as Emma and Snow tried to digest what it must have meant for Regina.

They finally arrived at the shop and Henry was the first one out of the car.

"You did it, Mom, you saved them. Thank you so much," he said, throwing himself on his mother's still form. "I love you," he whispered and kissed her cheek.

A bright white light spread from the two people embraced on the bed, the force of the blast accompanying it sending everyone reeling backwards.

* * *

Regina focused on her son's voice, pretending that her tormentors weren't there. He wanted to know if she was okay, he was promising her that they would bring her back and it gave her strength, so much strength.

When she opened her eyes again, Daniel, Leopold and Cora were gone, as were the stables. She was standing in an open field.

"Regina?" Someone called her and she recognized the voice at once.

"David? What are you doing here?" Regina demanded, wondering what this meant.

David shrugged. "I guess you needed someone who made you feel somewhat safe and your mind conjured me. Not even at your lowest point would you imagine Henry here."

Regina looked at him, her eyebrows having flown up. "Yes, you can't possibly be the real David, he is not that smart."

Her mind's version of David chuckled. "You still chose me. That's saying something."

"Only that I tolerate you. You haven't been as insufferable as most of the town's residents."

"That's quite a compliment there, Your Majesty. Although I know that's not the whole truth since, well I'm a creation of your own mind."

Regina's lips pinched. "I have no idea what you are on about."

"That night meant more to you than you are willing to admit. You were vulnerable and I, he, whatever, didn't take advantage of you. He only took what you gave, and that left you feeling unbalanced. You didn't expect that, you didn't plan it, and you can't deal with what it means."

The calm tone "David" used as he spoke the harsh cold truth made Regina bristle.

"None of this matters, he is married to his perfect snowflake, and if she isn't back already, she soon will be. We will never mention it again and life will go on, assuming that I ever wake up," she stated, waving her hand as if to dismiss the whole thing.

"What if he felt differently? How would you know? It isn't as much about David as it is about you believing you can mean something for someone, that you can be enough."

Regina scoffed. "Wonder where I ever got that idea," she mumbled under her breath.

"Things can change, if you accept the possibility. You heard your son, he didn't give up on you, he wants you back and he will do whatever he can to make that happen. What if his love is sincere enough to make a difference?"

"It won't be," Regina assured, even if the thought wrenched her heart.

"Are you certain?" Her version of David asked and she felt a strong pull, a warmth invaded her body and the whole setting disappeared in a bright white light.

She opened her eyes, gasping and she sat up. She found herself staring at David, the real one this time she was almost certain and her eyes widened in panic, there was no way this was happening. Before she could say anything though, a body collided with her, knocking her backwards.

"I woke you, I woke you," Henry chanted, laughing and crying at the same time, and Regina pressed him against her until he couldn't breathe and had to protest, although he did it reluctantly. "Don't ever do that again, Mom, please. I need you, I need all of you," Henry said and Regina raised her head to see Snow and Emma standing at the foot of the cot.

She noticed Snow's smile was a little uneasy as she looked from David to Regina.

"Welcome back," Regina forced out and it wasn't as difficult as she first thought while having her son in her arms.

"To you too," Snow replied. "Although I'm a bit curious as to why you seemed to think that David had woken you up?"

Regina tried to ignore the way David blanched at his wife's question. "I'm not sure what you mean, I was rather confused. As you know, sleeping curses are rather unpleasant and I certainly wasn't expecting to be woken up at all."

Snow studied her for a moment but seemed to accept the explanation.

Regina caught David's eyes, the message clear " _We need to talk_."

* * *

Thoughts?


	2. Of Withdrawal and Broken Hearts

_A/N: Thank you so much for the response to the first chapter, I'm so glad you're liking this incursion in the EC fandom._

 _Here is the prequel or what led Regina down the path to the sleeping curse. M-rated, unbetaed, all mistakes are mine._

 _Mentions of drug withdrawal._

 _Disclaimer: see chapter 1_

* * *

 **Of Withdrawal and Broken Hearts**

* * *

It had started as a normal enough night, if normal was a word one could use when living in a town which appeared out of nowhere populated by fairy tales characters with memory issues.

A normal night, with David and Henry eating out at Granny's, because as the shepherd turned Prince turned Sheriff had been informed by his grandson -and wasn't it a strange notion to have a grandson when he only remembered putting his minutes old daughter in a wardrobe?- he wasn't the best of cook. David, no matter how much he tried to avoid thinking about it, had had a taste of Regina's cooking and he could understand that after knowing this all his life, Henry could be a bit picky.

So dining out at Granny's it had been, and then homework, and then bargaining for bed time because Henry had been that close to finish that hard level in his video game that had been driving him crazy for days. Not an unpleasant routine all in all, even if he would still have given everything he had to share it with his wife and daughter.

David had been nodding off on the couch, he hadn't even noticed when the procedural series he had been watching had ended and been replaced by some reality show, when he had heard Henry screaming.

He had been by his side in mere seconds, suddenly alert and wide awake to find his grandson sat up, breathing hard and calling for his mom. David had tried to comfort him, had said that he missed Emma and Snow too, but they would see them again soon. The way Henry had frozen and stiffened had let him know that the boy hadn't been dreaming about his biological mother.

He had sighed and Henry had looked down, ashamed. David had felt something break inside him as he had realised for the first time that, no matter how happy Henry had been at the thought of being proved right and discovering himself a whole new family in the process, he had still been separated from the one parental figure he had known all his life.

Regina was many things but even David couldn't deny she had been a good mother to Henry, until everything came crashing down around her.

"Do you want to go see your mother, Henry?" He had asked, and the tentative way Henry had looked up at him then had achieved to convince him.

"It's just that we haven't seen her around in a few days and it's weird." The unsaid 'ever since I stood her up for lunch to sneak in her vault' had hung heavily between them. "You would know if something had happened to her, would you?"

It is a heavy responsibility to have the whole trust of a young child resting on one's shoulders and David had never felt its weight more than in this moment. The truth was, he couldn't answer Henry with absolute certainty. Ever since Regina had been asked to step down as Mayor, his workload had doubled up, and the fact that she had seemed to be staying out of trouble had been enough for him to place her in a far corner of his mind until further notice. He couldn't even remember the last time he had seen her.

"I'm sure she is fine," he had settled for an easy answer, hoping to placate the worried boy and had sent a silent prayer not to be proved wrong.

It hadn't even been 10pm when he had parked the truck in front of the mansion. Henry had been out of the car before it had fully stopped and David had hurried to catch up with him, the absence of any visible light on had made him feel uneasy.

His grandson had used his keys to open the front door and had called for his mother but had received no greeting in return.

David had asked him to stay in the hallway while he had gone and looked for the elusive Queen himself, dread slowly settling in the pit of his stomach.

The ground floor had been void of her presence, although he had noticed the suspicious absence or destruction of any and all mirrors that had once been there, and he then had made his way upstairs.

When he had finally found her, he had thanked whatever deity had given him enough sense to stop Henry from coming himself because he had absolutely no doubt that Regina would never ever want her son to see her like this.

A mess, that was the only word that had come to his mind to describe her as she had been sitting on the cold marble floor of her ensuite bathroom, clutching the round porcelain of the toilet bowl so hard her knuckles were white, dry heaving every once in a while, her long -too long- sleeved shirt sticking to her skin as if she had been sweating profusely and yet she was still shivering as if freezing, her hair were messy and pulled back in an attempt to keep them out of the way.

"Regina?" He had breathed her name out, wondering if he wasn't hallucinating the whole thing, it would make much more sense. "What's going on with you?"

She had turned her head towards him, only becoming aware of his presence, and he had been surprised at how pale she had looked.

"I have been keeping my promise to Henry, I haven't used magic," she had replied, teeth shattering, her voice nothing like what he was used to hear from her, so faint and broken.

He had frowned, not really making the connection, but then a thought had struck him: could magic be compared to a drug and be as hard to quit? If it was true then… The Evil Queen who had relayed on her powers for years, only to be unable to use them in this world without magic, before being abruptly reunited with them when Gold had come out to play,

was suffering from withdrawal symptoms to keep her word and regain her son's trust.

The part of him that had still thought and acted like David Nolan, a man who had called Regina a friend, had felt admiration and respect and had wanted to help the shaky and pale woman in front of him. The part of him that had remembered what Regina had done to his family and friends had been more perplexed and struggled to do the right thing.

"What are you doing here?" Regina had asked but before David had had a chance to answer, Henry had called him out from downstairs.

"Grandpa, what's going on? Did you find her?"

Regina's eyes had widened in surprise and shock and she had shaken her head.

"Henry is here? He can't see me like that!" Her tone had been desperate and she had sent him a pleading look that in other circumstances would have probably caused him to mock her.

"He was worried. He had a nightmare and he called out for you, he wanted to make sure you were alright, since you have been AWOL for the past few days."

He hadn't been able to ignore the tears that had suddenly appeared in the dark brown orbs.

"He was worried about me?" She had whispered in that broken voice that definitely unsettled him.

He had shrugged. "Of course, you're still his mother, one of them anyway, no matter how much we all hate the idea."

She had flinched and he had regretted his words, biting his bottom lip and looking down for a minute.

"Grandpa, you never answered me..." He had heard from behind him and he had turned towards Henry.

The boy had gasped as he had set eyes on his mother. "Mom? What's wrong with you?"

Regina had attempted a reassuring smile but the mere effort had cost her too much. She had slumped back against the toilet seat.

"It's nothing to worry about Henry, I'm just a bit sick, I will be fine soon enough," she had explained.

David had watched the exchange silently and had almost smiled at Henry's narrowed eyes and pinched lips as he had tried to determine if his mother had been lying or not. _How was it possible that those two could look so much like each other without having any drop of blood in common?_

"But you're never sick!" The boy had exclaimed.

"Just because you never saw it doesn't mean it never happened," Regina had replied tiredly and there had been something in the way she had said it that had given David pause, a hidden meaning he hadn't been sure he could grasp properly. " _She has always been very good at hiding how she truly feels, I never suspected what she was really capable of until it was almost too late."_ Snow had said once, David had remembered and he could certainly understand what she had meant.

"I'll be fine Henry. I just need some rest and to keep some food down," Regina had said and David could see that she desperately wanted her son to leave the room to give herself a chance to be more presentable for him.

"Henry, why don't you help me prepare a snack and some tea for your mom while she freshens herself up? " Utter surprise and then gratefulness had flickered on the woman in question's face in rapid succession.

Henry had seemed to hesitate though, unwilling to leave his mother while she looked so frail.

"It's just for a few minutes Henry, and I would really like some tea. David will only make a mess if you don't show him where everything is," she had scrunched her nose, faking disdain, and it had made David snort.

"I guess he will, he isn't exactly the best in the kitchen," Henry had whispered conspiratorially and Regina's eyes had widened dramatically.

"Has he been starving you?" she had asked, looking scandalized.

David had coughed. " _He_ is still there and _he_ has been told that _his_ cooking needed improving so Granny took pity on us," he had replied, slightly irritated.

Regina and Henry had exchanged an amused look. "And he is talking about himself using the third person, power is getting to his head," she had stated, arching one elegant eyebrow, and Henry had guffawed, the tension finally releasing around him.

"Well, you will have to keep me in check then," the interim Sheriff had said, and this time both of Regina's eyebrows had flown up. "Come on, Henry, let's go down."

The boy had looked back at his mother who had sent him a small smile that was meant to be reassuring but David could see how tensed it really had been.

"Just a few minutes," she had repeated and her son had finally nodded and followed his grandfather out of the room.

The kitchen had been its usual pristine self, but a quick inspection of the cupboards and the refrigerator had let them know it hadn't been used in a little while.

Henry had been a bit shocked at seeing them so bare, he had never known this room to be anything else but full stocked.

"She probably didn't see the point, with me choosing to live elsewhere," he had muttered, his head hung down.

David had put his hand on his shoulder, squeezing comfortingly. "Heh, your mom is a big girl and a hunger strike isn't her style. She wasn't feeling well and probably couldn't keep food down, that's all, it will get better."

Henry hadn't looked convinced. "She always took care of me when I was sick, always knew what to do to make me feel better, but the one time she is, she was left all alone. She doesn't have anyone else but me, Grandpa!" he had blurted out, tears swirling in his eyes; he had wiped them away angrily, sniffling.

David had squeezed the boy tightly against him. "She isn't alone anymore, is she? And she said she needs to eat and drink, so we should prepare a light something for her, alright?" he had ruffled Henry's hair in an attempt to make him smile and had been rewarded by a slight lifting of one corner of his lips.

The kettle had been filled with water and put on the heater, they had found an unopened box of crackers in the back of a cupboard and some herbal tea which had relaxing properties from what David had read at the back of the box. While he had gathered a cup, a spoon, a small plate to put on a tray, he had kept an eye on Henry out of the corner of his eyes and had seen how restless the boy was, looking towards the door every few seconds.

"Go on up," David had finally said and Henry had turned towards him with wide eyes. "I've got it from here, go be with your mom."

Henry hadn't needed to be told twice and had raced towards the stairs, taking them two at a time.

David had shaken his head, smiling fondly just as the water had boiled. He had taken the tray to Regina's room and the sight that had greeted him had tugged at his heartstrings.

Regina had changed her clothes and had been leaning against a couple of pillows, her arms around Henry, one hand on his back, the other in his hair, while her son rested his head on her chest, his arms around her middle. Both had their eyes closed but when David had stepped on a creaking floorboard, Regina had opened hers, startled, tightening her embrace around Henry.

She had observed David, lips pinched, a frown marring her face.

"It's okay, you can relax, Mama Bear. I'm not taking him anywhere, I think he is right where he wants to be," David had whispered, putting the tray on the bedside table and watching as Regina's eyes had become too heavy for her to keep open. She had burrowed her face against her son's curls and her breathing had slowed as she had fallen asleep.

David had brought a chair closer to the bed and had settled in it, readying himself for a silent watch over a part of his… family? Henry definitely was but Regina? He had found he had no proper definition of his relationship with the woman. He couldn't call her a friend when he still wasn't sure that he could trust her, but for Henry's sake he knew he had to look after her. It had also become more and more evident that she could be a precious resource to get Snow and Emma back, if only they could make a suitable deal.

He had rubbed his hands over his face and leaned back, crossing them over his chest.

Morning had come rather quickly. David had managed a couple of shuteyes but had stopped after being rudely awakened by a combined nightmare of both mother and son around 3 am. Screams, whimpers, tears and heavy breathing had been rather difficult to calm down, and then both Henry and Regina had been trying to convince the other that they were perfectly fine, nothing to worry about, despite their shaky voices and shifting eyes.

He had been in the kitchen, trying to prepare breakfast, but given the state of the cabinets it had been a rather difficult feat, when Regina had walked in. She had looked a bit better, less pale, the dark circles under her eyes had receded a bit, and if the grumble he had heard coming from her stomach had been any indication, her nausea had abated.

She had still wrinkled her nose at the cup of coffee he had been holding and he had prepared her a fresh cup of tea instead.

They hadn't exchanged a word, she had studied him intently, probably trying to guess why he had shown her any kindness, first by bringing Henry to her and then by taking care of them both.

She had sipped her tea slowly, closing her eyes as the warmth settled in her still troubled stomach, and had nipped at the crackers he had had brought down.

David had observed each of her gestures, and when Henry had stumbled in half an hour later, showered and dressed, the whole scene had looked so domestic, it had felt unreal. He had realised he had not known this since he had been living in the farm with his mother. His time with Snow, after their wedding, had been filled with worries and battle plans and councils. even during their honeymoon they had tried to find a way to beat Regina; and with Kathryn things had been too awkward.

He had shaken his head, dismissing the strange notion that he was sharing a serene breakfast with the woman who had been the bane of their existence, and had almost missed when she had spoken.

She had cupped Henry's cheek, her thumb stroking it slowly, and she had heaved a sigh.

"I think I should go see Dr Hopper. I thought I could do this on my own but it has proved more difficult than I had first anticipated," she had announced.

"Giving up magic?" Henry had asked and she had nodded.

"I can drive you there, if you want," David had proposed and she had turned her attention towards him, eyebrows raised.

"Want to make sure I keep my word?" She had asked, the faintest hint of amusement in her tone.

"What I saw last night was proof enough," he had replied and he had felt some satisfaction when she had looked surprised. It was good to know he could keep her in her toes.

They had finished breakfast, conversations flowing more easily. He had sent her upstairs to get ready while he and Henry had cleaned up, and she had looked mildly put out at being ordered around in her own house.

They had dropped Henry at school, even if he had bargained to stay home given their not so restful night but Regina had argued that if she had to go and sit with Archie, he could at least pay attention to his replacement teacher for a few hours. It had all seemed almost normal until Henry had leaned over the space between the two front seats and kissed his mother's cheek, whispering "I'm proud of you".

She hadn't had time to reply, Henry had been out of the car, waving to them before disappearing in the building. The rest of the drive was silent, Regina had writhed her hands together nervously, looking out of the window, and when the car had stopped again in front of Archie's office, David had put one of his hand over her fidgeting ones, causing her to jump.

"You're doing the right thing. It will be alright," he had reassured her.

"At least, I'm not pucking my gut out anymore, so there is that," she had retorted, scrunching up her nose at the thought of what he had seen the night before.

"See, bright spots all around," he had laughed. "Archie is a good man, he will do whatever he can to help you," he had added more seriously.

"We shall see," she had said, inhaling deeply, gathering her courage.

"Just give me a call when you need me to pick you up."

"My, my, people are going to talk if you keep going," Regina had remarked dryly.

"Let them talk."

"What a brave shepherd you are!" She had gone out of the car, taking a few steps and then turning back towards him.

"Thank you," she had said, and the sincerity of the statement had made no doubt to him.

He had nodded, waiting until she had entered the place before driving away.

* * *

Regina hadn't been able to stop staring down at her hands ever since she had arrived back home. She wasn't quite sure how she had made the journey from the stables to Archie's office and then to the Manor in one piece, given how distracted and shaky she had been, still was.

She had always had the feeling that she could see the blood on her hands if she squinted hard enough, and even if this time no blood had been spilled, she had the distinct impression all her past sins were written right there.

After all this time, she had finally had Daniel back. For a few short moments, she had been able to touch him, talk to him, just be with him, and her heart had almost burst at how filled with joy it had been. A few short, way too short moments, and it had all been shattered to pieces. He hadn't really been Daniel, not fully, and no matter how hard she had wanted to hung unto him and never let go, she had known he would only suffer, and he had been through enough of that.

All her efforts to give up on magic, to rid her system of it and to process how to live without it, all the mind searching, letting Archie probe the darker corner of her buried memories and traumas, and it had all flown out of the window to kill her true love once and for all. The mere notion had been untolerable.

"Phhew," a low whistle coming from the living room entrance had broken through her thoughts and her head had snapped to the side too quickly, causing her to wince as her muscles protested.

The pretend Prince had made it a habit - a very bad one at that- to barge into her home uninvited, and even if she hadn't recently expressed her displeasure at the repeated intrusions, he had really chosen the worst moment to express his burglar talents.

"David, leave. You have done quite enough for today, I really want to be left alone," she had said using what little strength she had left to put in her tone, shaking her head, raising her hand to ward off his approach.

He had ignored her, of course he had, and made a cautious descent towards her, stepping over the debris of the furnitures that had surrounded her. She had unleashed all her bottled up feelings and her living room had taken the brunt of it.

"I wanted to check up on you after what happened earlier. I guess I don't have to ask how you are," the interim Sheriff had stated, looking around from the torn and partially burnt curtains to the pieces of what had once been the coffee table, to the frames ripped from the walls, the paintings they had contained nowhere to be found. The only things that had been left untouched were Henry's pictures.

She had rolled her eyes, her lips had thinned. "Can't I ever get a moment of peace?" She hadn't had anymore fight left in her. "Please, just leave," her voice had broken, she had pressed a hand against her mouth to stifle a sob but it had only made him move to her quicker.

He had sat close to her, "No one should be left alone under those circumstances. I'm really sorry it had to come to this," David had whispered, squeezing her shoulder and had frowned when he had caught proper sight of her neck, around which she had known bruises in the form of an handprint had started to bloom.

She had turned her head away, had curled up, hugging her knees to her chest, pressing her face to them but she hadn't shrugged off his hand. He had kept it there for a minute, before rubbing her back, and then getting up again to fetch them something to drink.

He had brought back two full glasses of cider, along with the bottle, and had pushed one of the glasses in her shaky hands.

"Encouraging me to drink? What kind of example are you trying to set?" She had asked, but her attempt at humour had fallen flat, she just hadn't been able to put her heart into it. "How is Henry?"

"He is fine, a bit shaken, but more by what happened to you than by meeting Daniel. He wanted to come but I didn't think it was a good idea."

She had nodded in agreement.

They had downed the first glass in silence, Regina's sobs had died down, and she had struggled to get her breathing back under control.

He had served them a second and then a third drink, before he had broken the quiet. "Tell me about him. Daniel. How did you meet? What was he like?"

But Regina had frantically shaken her head. "I can't…" she had started and then paused. "I have spent so many years grieving for him, I have lost count and now… I can't do that... He was everything, David, everything I had, and he was taken away right before my eyes. I couldn't do anything and today… Today, I had to…" She had been heaving and panting and struggling to let the air in and David had drawn her to him.

She had fisted his shirt in her hands. "All I wanted was to bring him back, I learned magic to do just that but he was right there and I… I failed him and I failed Henry too. I broke my word. You were right to keep him away, everything I touch turns to ash, and it's only a matter of time before something happens to Henry because of me…" She had been rambling, self-loathing so deeply internalized she never doubted her words were true but suddenly, she had been cut off, a hand in her hair to bring her head back, lips pressed against her own, and her thoughts had shut down.

"Shhh," he had whispered against her lips when he had finally ended the kiss. "Stop doing this to yourself. There was nothing you could do to save him and Henry is fine, we got there in time."

She had only looked at him with wide eyes, his shirt still clutched in her tight grip and he had seemed to only realised what he had done. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me, I shouldn't have done that," he had said hurriedly but she hadn't moved nor had she replied.

She had brought one of her hand from his torso to his cheek and his lips, wiping away some remnants of her lipstick with her thumb.

He had frowned. "Regina?" He had called out softly, but just then she had brought his head down and crushed his lips against hers.

She had moaned in abandon, her jumbled mind disconnecting enough to let her enjoy something that wasn't the visions of horrors that had been plaguing her all evening. She hadn't even noticed when her tears had started falling again.

"Regina, stop," David had said, holding her arms and straightening up to put a bit of distance between them.

She had leaned back, as if electrocuted.

"You're crying, you're in pain, it's not right," the Prince had stated, wiping her tears away.

"You started it. Don't tell me you forced yourself to kiss me," she had replied, a slight tremble in her voice that had betrayed how much what she had wanted his answer to be.

"I know I did and I don't regret it, but I am married and you have just witnessed the man you loved dying for the second time. This isn't right."

"Your wife isn't here and you may never get her back, Daniel is gone and I can't stop thinking. I need to stop thinking just for a moment. I need to feel something different, if just for a little while," she had looked so desperate, so broken and her words had made something in him snap.

If he had tried to reason with himself and justify his actions, he would probably have said that he and Snow barely had time to properly reconnect before she went down the portal with Emma. Everything that had happened before the curse had been broken had still been fresh in his mind, and he had been confused and lost, thinking his family was lost to him forever.

However, in that moment, with Regina right in front of him, open in a way he had never thought possible, vulnerable and yet willing, the only defense he had for himself was 'Why the hell not?'

She had seen the change in his eyes immediately, he had always been an open book, much like his precious snowflake of a wife, he had always worn his emotions and his heart on his sleeve, and the moment he had decided to give in, she had known.

He had fused their mouths back together and this kiss had had nothing to do with the two previous ones, no more inhibitions, no more qualms. She had lost her balance from the force with which he had embraced her, and if it hadn't been for his muscular arms around her frame she would have landed harshly on her back.

Instead, he had eased her on the ground, his tongue sneaking past her lips and she had gripped his hair with one hand and bunched his shirt with the other, moaning at the intrusion.

His hands had traveled along her leggings covered legs to her knees, making them bent and settling properly between them, his jeans rubbing against her center and she had thrown her head back, a loud gasp leaving her mouth.

 _Why did something that was so wrong felt so right?_ She had thought, the irony that a couple of weeks ago she had tried to seduce him, to no avail, to hurt an unaware Snow, and that in this very moment he was the one to take charge, had registered somewhere in her mind.

"Stop thinking," he had said, cupping her cheek with one hand, the other slowly going up her leg to her hip and under her shirt. "We need to stop thinking."

She had shivered at the contact of his warm palm against her stomach and brought his head back down. She had been craving intimacy like this ever since Graham... No, even with Graham, it hadn't been real, he had been cursed, controlled, molded into doing her bidding. David was none of those things, not anymore.

A thrill had run through her as she had finally realised that Charming, Snow's Charming, was between her legs, kissing her into oblivion out of his own free will, and that, more than anything else, had been the determining factor into ultimately letting go.

She had tugged his damned flannel up until he had taken it off along with his t-shirt, leaving his chest and back bare for her nails to roam.

"Your turn," he had said, helping her out of her blue long sleeved shirt. She hadn't bothered with such a trivial thing as putting on a bra after the scolding hot shower she had taken to try and scrub off any traces she had left of the stables, and his usually clear blue eyes had turned dark with lust at the sight of what he had just uncovered.

"So that's what your dresses back there were hiding," he had whispered, and had shrugged at the single eyebrow she had arched. "Can't blame me for being curious, I'm a hot blooded man after all."

Her gaze had swept down until it had reached the evidence of his 'hot bloodedness'. "I dare say you are," she had replied and he had smirked proudly.

"It would seem I like what I see," he had muttered against her collarbone, nipping his way down to the swell of her breast, licking and biting gently around, leaving her nipple entirely untouched and she had growled, an irritated sound resounding in the back of her throat. She had gripped his hair again, trying to guide him where she had wanted his mouth most but he had denied her, switching to her other breast and giving it the same treatment.

She had arched her back, hoping to entice him into giving in but it hadn't worked. He had let go of her breasts entirely, and made his way to her navel and the waistline of her leggings. He had brought it down along with her panties, brushing his lips along one leg on the way down and the other on the way up after he had thrown the garments somewhere behind him. He had stroked the inside of her thighs with his nose, picking up on her scent as he had gotten closer and closer to her mound.

His sweet torture had continued there, he had licked at her opening, nipped at her lips, brushed his nose against her clit, never applying enough pressure for her to feel any kind of relief, but in a way it had had the desired effect. She had been so focused on his every actions that she couldn't think about anything else.

A loud whimper had escaped her when his tongue had entered her, but the sensation had been short lived because he had only used his tongue, no fingers, no more contact with her clit and it just hadn't been enough, and the bastard had known that. He had batted her fingers away when she had tried to take matters in her own hands and had kept fucking her with his tongue.

"More, I need more," Regina had whined at last and she had felt his grin against her thigh as he had ceased his movements.

"You only had to _say_ it," he had told her and he had finally let his fingers join the show. Who would have thought this Charming Prince could be such a damn tease?

With his fingers stretching her and his tongue at her clit, Regina had finally been able to feel an orgasm starting to build and had been quite vocal about it, but just as she had thought she might find her release he had stopped again, straightening up to shimmy out of his shoes, socks, jeans and boxers.

She would never admit it even under torture, but she had quite liked what she had seen and it had been enough to distract her from her cheated climax. He was well-built, with strong and defined muscles that hadn't seem to suffer from his extensive coma. His shoulders were broader than Graham's, her Huntsman had been more angular, thinner, and she had never had the feeling she had gotten with David that he could crush her, but right then it had suited her just fine.

Her eyes had dropped to his proudly standing erection and she had encircled it with her hand, causing him to grunt. He had covered her hand with his and they pumped slowly for a few moments.

He had taken her hand off his cock and lowered himself back between her opened legs.

"You sure?" He had asked, and she had nodded, her retort of 'Just get on with it already' dying on her lips as he had thrusted into her slowly.

Her hips had met him thrusts for thrusts, his mouth had finally latched on her nipples, she had been so close, so close. He had kissed her again, raw passion had slowly dwindled into something more sweet, more intense in a way and it had reminded Regina of her very first kiss, and everything that she had pushed back since she had thrown herself at David had come back at once. She had buried her face in David's neck to hide it from him, she could feel the tears forming again behind her closed eyelids, and God she really had thought she had no more to cry.

She had disguised her sobs as whimpers of pleasure, long years of practice with her husband had rendered it second nature. All hope for release had eluded her then and David must have felt something had been wrong. He had slowed his thrusts down, taken her face in his hands, and had looked horrified at the sight of her tears and that he hadn't noticed.

"I'm sorry… I can't…" she had cried out, pushing him away and stumbling to her feet, grabbing her shirt in an attempt to cover herself.

She had fled to her room, not looking back, falling on her bed, burying herself under the covers, and had sobbed her heart out.

David had joined her after a while, dressed and uncertain. Seeing her like this had been too much for him though and he had lied down behind her, taking her in his arms. She had only wept harder, until she had had no energy left and he had stayed, eyes wide open well into the night, adjusting his embrace around her, wondering what the hell he had gotten into and why he hadn't felt the slightest amount of guilt at any given moment that evening?

* * *

 **The end?**


	3. It's you and me against the world

_A/N: Does anyone remember this story? If you do then I'm so sorry for taking so long to update but I hope this long chapter makes up for it. I was asked for a sequel, so this is what I came up with, let me know what you think._

 _Thank you so much to LanaMariaSwan, joyndoug97, Lala Kate, Regal-Hood, hevelinchris, KazyCMfan, luv2read2, Stefangelina, LilacGreen and the guests for your wonderful reviews. and big hugs to my darling Lolymoon for her input, mwah :*_

 _My take on The Cricket Game with an EC twist, I borrowed some dialogue from it. This will be a bit more slow burn but hopefully still satisfying. Enjoy!_

* * *

 **It's you and me against the world**

* * *

 _Previously on Save me from myself:_

 _She opened her eyes, gasping and she sat up. She found herself staring at David, the real one this time she was almost certain and her eyes widened in panic, there was no way this was happening. Before she could say anything though, a body collided with hers, knocking her backwards._

" _I woke you, I woke you," Henry chanted, laughing and crying at the same time, and Regina pressed him against her until he couldn't breathe and had to protest, although he did it reluctantly. "Don't ever do that again, Mom, please. I need you, I need all of you," Henry said and Regina raised her head to see Snow and Emma standing at the foot of the cot._

 _She noticed Snow's smile was a little uneasy as she looked from David to Regina._

" _Welcome back," Regina forced out and it wasn't as difficult as she first thought while having her son in her arms._

" _To you too," Snow replied. "Although I'm a bit curious as to why you seemed to think that David had woken you up?"_

 _Regina tried to ignore the way David blanched at his wife's question. "I'm not sure what you mean, I was rather confused. As you know, sleeping curses are rather unpleasant and I certainly wasn't expecting to be woken up at all."_

 _Snow studied her for a moment but seemed to accept the explanation._

 _Regina caught David's eyes, the message clear "_ We need to talk."

The silence that followed was heavy and uncomfortable. Despite Henry's tight embrace, Regina could see the way he would discreetly look towards Emma and Snow and she knew what her son wanted.

She inhaled deeply, steeling her resolve, and murmured in his ear. "Go to them, it's alright."

Henry looked up at her quickly, obviously surprised that he had been caught. "But…" He started.

Regina shook her head and cupped his cheek. "You have spent the past several weeks trying to bring them back, even hurting yourself in the process," she said, rubbing the arm that spotted severe burns not that long ago. "You should welcome them back properly."

Henry smiled at her, embracing her tightly against him. "You could come with us," he mumbled against her chest and she grimaced. She could take it upon herself to let Henry go and spend time with his blonde mother and Snow, but there was a limit to what she was ready to do.

"It's been a long day Henry, and even if I spent most of it asleep it didn't feel very restful," she told him, trying not to wince at his disappointed expression. "I will see you tomorrow, we can get breakfast at Granny's if you want."

He considered it for a moment before biting his bottom lip. "Could we make pancakes at home instead?" He asked and she grinned.

"Of course," she replied instantly.

Emma Swan opened her mouth, a noise of protest on the tip of her tongue but she clamped it shut when she was faced with three hard looks. Regina, and maybe Henry she had expected, but David?

"Something to say, Miss Swan?" Regina asked the Sheriff stiffly.

David shook his head at Emma, frowning a bit, and the blonde's eyebrows flew as she stumbled over her words to answer. "Nope, nothing at all."

Regina hummed in approval. "That's what I thought," she replied before ruffling Henry's hair and stroking his cheek. "It will be alright, honey. Just don't get into trouble."

"You neither," he countered smartly, grinning. He hopped up from the cot and hugged her tightly once more.

"Don't worry Henry, I will take her home," David announced and a tense silence fell in the room.

Regina arched an eyebrow, a slight smirk pulling at her lips as she caught Snow's bewildered expression.

David shrugged at his wife. "She was just under a sleeping curse and got you the message that helped you find your way back here. The least we can do is make sure she doesn't wreck her car..."

" _She_ is right here," Regina interrupted harshly. "And she can take care of herself," she added, she knew why David had suggested it but she couldn't agree too readily or that might make the others suspicious. She rose from the bed and swayed a bit on her feet, a wave of dizziness overcoming her. She closed her eyes, grasping one of Henry's shoulders and she felt David's hand catching her right elbow, steadying her.

"You were saying?" He inquired mockingly and she glared at him.

"I think there might still be some sleeping potion left, want to try some and see if you are faring any better?" She threatened but he could detect the amusement in her tone and he wondered when he had become able to read her so well.

"You do realise that it was the original plan, right?" He asked rhetorically, smirking at her crossed expression.

"Okay, this is way too weird for me to process," Emma blurted out, looking from her father to Regina with wide eyes and Snow didn't seem to be handling this any better. "What the hell?" She exclaimed, looking desperately towards Henry, who only shrugged as if he didn't understand what the problem was.

"Things haven't been so bad around here," he replied. "I mean, we missed you and we worked really hard to get you back but we all got along…" He trailed off. "Mostly anyway, there was that time when Mom caught one of Granny's arrows and set fire to it in the middle of the City Hall, and later when Gramps threatened her with his sword…"

"I think you should really quit while you're ahead, son," David interrupted him, exchanging a wince with Regina as Snow and Emma's expression became even more incredulous with each word the boy pronounced.

"Oops," Henry said, chewing his bottom lip, looking sheepish.

"We should probably go, I haven't eaten anything other than chimera and berries in days, I would give anything for a bear claw and proper coffee," Emma stated, shaking her head, still trying to wrap her head around what she had just heard. She turned on her heels, practically dragging Snow by the arm with her, and Henry followed them, looking back at his mother every few moments with a reassuring smile until he was out of view.

Regina sighed and grabbed her hand bag, turning towards David.

"That was a brave thing you did there. I know it can't have been easy to let him go," the Prince told her softly.

Regina scoffed and headed to the front of the shop, calling over her shoulder when he failed to catch up. "I thought you were taking me home."

"You do know you are rather difficult to follow," he grumbled, climbing in his pick-up, as she was already buckling her seatbelt beside him.

"I do my best," she replied. "I should hire you as my personal chauffeur, given how many times you've been driving me around recently. Now that your daughter has returned, she will probably take her job back, you will need to support your family somehow," Regina deadpanned, smirking, but David wasn't amused.

"Could you stop for a minute? It was completely reckless to go under that sleeping curse," he snapped harshly, before softening his tone as she looked down. "Henry was desperate, it would have broken his heart if we hadn't been able to wake you up."

"I know that now," she whispered and he turned his head sharply towards her.

"Did you really believe it wouldn't affect him?"

"You will find it's frighteningly easy to believe those kind of things when you are as used as I am to being second choice and cast aside. He has spent the better part of a year running from me and rejecting every attempt I made at reconnecting, and even if things have been much better recently, I must say that I didn't expect him to stick around once Emma and Snow were back," she explained in a clipped tone, arms crossed, her eyes staring out of the window but unfocused.

David sighed and hesitated only briefly before taking his right hand off the wheel to put it on her knee and squeeze it in what he hoped was a comforting way. He didn't add another word and kept driving until they arrived to the elegant white manor.

Regina got out of the car as soon as the engine stopped and David followed, careful not to invade her space.

She walked to the first flight of stairs at the end of the foyer and stopped there, she didn't really want to go any closer to the living room given what happened between them the last time they were in there.

She sighed. "I guess I should prepare a bag for Henry for you to take back."

David frowned. "It's only one night, surely he can manage with what's left at the loft."

Regina shook her head. "Do you really think your wife and daughter will let him come back and live here as if nothing happened?"

"I think that they will ask Henry what he wishes to do and respect those wishes whatever they are," he answered.

She only looked at him in disbelief.

"I will make sure they do, Regina. I have seen you with Henry, I have seen how committed you are to change and be someone he can be proud of. I won't take that away from you. Also he did just wake you up with True Love's kiss, that's pretty hard to ignore," he sounded so sincere that she could only blink at him for a long moment, unable to process that those words were coming out of his mouth. Could she really have someone on her side, ready to stand for her? And Prince Charming of all people?

"Don't look so surprised," he added grinning, when she didn't respond.

"This isn't at all related to some sense of guilt you could feel over what happened between us, that will eventually fade and make you realise you made a big mistake and cause you to take back everything you just said?" She asked, standing tall, arms akimbo, watching him with a searching gaze.

David found the whole picture quite endearing. "You haven't been over thinking this at all, have you?" He replied, smirking. "Look," he added when she glared at him. "If you had been willing to discuss this at the time, you would know that I do not regret what happened between us that night. Sure cheating on Snow wasn't my finest moment and I'm not particularly keen on her finding out, but I meant everything I said and did then."

Regina shuffled uncomfortably and she found that she couldn't quite meet his eyes.

"Hey," he said, bending a little to catch her shifty gaze. "The woman I saw that night, I wouldn't mind getting to know her better, when she is done hiding."

"I'll let her know when I see her," Regina quipped, wrinkling her nose, biting her lip to stop herself from smiling in response to his laugh. _Damn that man_. "So you won't tell her anything?" She insisted after a bit.

"Why would I? You needed someone that night and it went further than we expected, no one else needs to know… It's not like we have any intention of it happening again," the slight pause before he added that last part made her cock her head to the side. He didn't seem as convinced as he pretended to be, she thought.

She was still quite surprised that he would keep such a secret from his precious snowflake of a wife but then: "What Snow doesn't know…"

"Can't hurt her," he completed but she shook her head.

"Can't hurt us," she corrected.

He inclined his head and the corner of his lips lifted up. "I see."

They stayed silent for a moment, observing one another and then he walked the couple of steps that separated them and hugged her against him.

She stood stiff, trying to decide if she should accept and return his embrace or not.

"As crazy as that sounds, I'm glad you're alright," he whispered and she drew in a sharp breath, letting her head fall on his shoulder, turning it slightly to breathe him in.

"Thank you for looking after Henry and not letting him give up on me," she replied in a murmur.

"He didn't need me for that but you're welcome," and he let her go, walking backwards to the door. "I will bring Henry tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll even manage to snatch some pancakes."

"Maybe I'll let you," Regina smirked and he chuckled before growing serious again.

"You need anything, you give me a call."

"That's very generous. Remember you brought it on yourself if I take you up on that offer."

David nodded. "I'm a tough guy, I can take whatever you throw at me." And with that, he left and she watched on, wondering how long the Prince's good intentions would last before he would throw her under the bus like everyone else ever did.

* * *

The couple of days that followed were strange for David, he had tried so hard to get his family back and now that they were he felt oddly disconnected in a way, especially from Snow.

As they were attempting to adjust back to a life together, he found it wasn't as easy as he had once thought. He had been hit by the sudden realisation that they had never had a quiet moment ever since they met. Before the curse, it had been all about finding each other and fighting dark forces threatening to tear them apart; even during their wedding and honeymoon they couldn't catch a break. When they should have been enjoying Snow's pregnancy and the months leading to the birth of their daughter, they were instead meeting up with their council for ways to prevent the Dark Curse from occurring; theories, plans, grasping at straws, and in the end it was all for nothing.

During the Curse, well, towards the end of it anyway, after he had finally awoken, things were very different. They had felt that instant connection to one another but the drive to fight for it they had had in the Enchanted Forest wasn't there anymore, it all felt wrong somehow, and he couldn't deny that he still felt the wedge it had created between them. They had given up, and even if they were cursed, it still hurt.

How weird that the closest thing to peaceful moments he had known in years were spent by the side of the woman who had threatened his happiness, and her son, his own grandson. They had shared meals together, watched over Henry, worked together to run the town when he had understood he couldn't do it all on his own. It had felt almost normal and he wondered why he couldn't quite recapture that with Snow.

When he had joined Emma, Snow and Henry after dropping off Regina, he had had to face some awkward questions about this sudden friendship with the Queen and he had tried to explain the situation as best he could without betraying what had really happened between them. Snow had been convinced but he wasn't so sure about Emma.

The fact that he had driven Henry over to his mother's place the next day and stayed for breakfast probably hadn't helped matters, but he had a weakness for Regina's cooking - among other things- and saying no to her pancakes had seemed like a sacrilege.

For all those reasons, he had been very surprised that Emma had invited Regina to the welcome home party at Granny's and defended her decision to Snow when she had showed how opposed she was to the woman's presence. David had backed Emma up, but as much as he had wished to be able to go and talk to Regina, he had known that doing it there and then would be asking for trouble. He had felt uncomfortable and saddened to see her sitting all alone for the better part of the evening. He had hoped Emma would manage to convince her to stay when she had gone after her but it was to no avail.

He had seen for himself how difficult it was for Regina to put her old ways behind her and become someone her son could be proud of and he wondered how long she would be able to bear it all if no one was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

He sighed as he wiped the dishes, throwing a look towards Snow, Emma and Henry, all curled up together on the couch, watching TV, when his phone started vibrating on the counter, the screen lighting up. He frowned at the name appearing there, _think of the Devil_.

"Hello?" He picked up, speaking in a low voice, and moved closer to the bathroom as to not attract too much attention from his family.

There was a long pause that made him check that the call had not been ended.

"Hello? Regina, is that you?" He asked, lowering his voice even more, and stepped in the other room, closing the door tightly behind him.

He heard her take a shuddering breath and his brow furrowed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called," she whispered shakily.

"No, no, don't hang up. I told you that you could call me if you needed anything," he said quickly, the tone of her voice did not bode well at all.

"I… I just realised today how very few people I could actually talk to, and since I had a major falling out with one of the two of them this morning, I thought…" She paused, taking another deep breath. "This was stupid, I won't bother you any longer," her tremulous voice tugged at something inside him.

"Heh, why don't you tell me what Archie has done and let me decide how much of a bother you really are," he attempted to joke and it seemed to work as he heard a broken chuckle.

"That obvious? I thought I could trust him but the first chance he got he babbled about our sessions to your daughter, and then tried to justify it by saying it was only to help me show her I was trying to change. The things we talk about…" She trailed off, trying to regain control of her emotions, the struggle clear even through the phone. "How can I expect people to believe I want to change and do better when he is there reminding them of my past sins at every corner? I thought this would help but it's only making things worse. I should never have gone to the cricket," when her words had been broken and slow to come before, she was now talking fast, too fast.

"You need to calm down, Regina," David cut her off, fearing the beginning of a panic attack if she kept going like this.

"That's the point, I can't!" She exclaimed. "I have been trying to control this since this morning but I can't. He betrayed my trust. Even when I try, it's not good enough. It's never good enough," the last part seemed to be meant more for herself than for him to hear but he still did. "I don't want to act upon it but I don't know how long I'll be able to stop myself."

"Heh, it's alright, I know you're stronger than that. Take a deep breath, I'm on my way," he told her.

"You don't have to do that," she whispered.

"Look, I told Henry before and I'm telling you now, no matter what you think, you're not alone", he said pointedly and waited for her to object but she didn't. "I'm on my way," he reiterated and hung up.

He left the bathroom and headed to the door quickly, grabbing his jacket on the way.

"Everything alright?"

"Where are you going?"

Emma and Snow asked simultaneously, looking down when a sleeping Henry shifted at the sudden raised voices. The words left David's mouth before he could think about them.

"Yes, it was just Mrs Fisher. Her cat fled again and she won't stop calling until I have helped her find it," it was disturbingly easy to lie to them and he didn't feel as bad as he thought he would using the little old lady Dr Whale had recently diagnosed with Alzheimer and who called the station regularly about her missing cat only to forget all about it in the morning.

"Do you really have to deal with that tonight?" Snow insisted, pouting slightly.

"She is going to call all night until someone comes, believe me I'm used to it. I hope I won't be too long," he explained and sent them a reassuring smile.

David wasn't exactly sure what to expect when he arrived at the mansion and let himself in as usual, but finding Regina pacing back and forth in the foyer was somewhat reassuring. Pacing was good, pacing meant she wasn't destroying her house -again- or drinking herself under the table, which certainly wouldn't help her keeping a clear head.

"Regina," he called out and the brunette stopped for a second to throw him a look before resuming walking the floor.

"You hung up on me, that's rude," she said without preamble, still going from one wall to the other and he smirked, shaking his head at her antics.

"Well, I'm here, am I not? It was easier to drive without the phone to be honest."

"What excuse did you give to get away?" She was clearly trying to avoid the real problem here but he indulged her, at least for a moment.

"If anyone asks you're an eighty-years-old, little grey-haired lady, looking for her cat," he replied, biting his bottom lip when she paused, turned towards him and tilted her head to the side.

"Is that supposed to be an insult or something?"

He laughed. "No, I just told them I was going to help Mrs Fisher."

Comprehension dawned on her face. "Oh, Crazy Cat Lady!" She said. "I resent that," she added, scowling.

"Sorry about that, first thing that came to mind," he explained but her scowl only deepened.

"So the first thing you associate me with is Crazy Cat Lady? Nice."

"You are deliberately misinterpreting what I said to distract me from the real purpose of my visit," he told her, pointing an accusing finger in her direction.

She raised a single eyebrow. "I hope you didn't sprain your tongue over those big words, you're not usually this articulate," her tone was patronizing and it was his turn to glower, miffed.

"Must be your influence. At least it was that that I picked up and not the various and colourful ways you have to torture and kill," he shrugged.

She rolled her eyes and walked to the kitchen, leaving him behind in the hall.

"That was low," she said when he joined her.

"It was. I apologize."

She studied him for a minute and nodded. "Coffee?" She asked.

"Sure," he acquiesced and she busied herself preparing it for him and some tea for herself. He smiled privately at the thought that she certainly didn't need any caffeine at the moment.

"How is this supposed to work? I pretend there is nothing wrong until you decide to talk or can we act like grownups and save some time?" David wondered when she only sipped her tea silently for a full minute.

"You tell me. Think you know how to do that?"

"Trying to aggravate me won't distract me from the fact that you called me and didn't sound too good. What's the point of putting up the façade now?"

Regina looked down, tracing the rim of her cup with her index slowly.

"Force of habit I suppose," she said, sighing, still engrossed in her cup. "I'm used to handling things on my own."

"I know that, but you called. That has to mean something," he insisted.

"I wanted to use magic. I even told Archie he was lucky I had changed because I really wanted to punish him for speaking out of turn," she admitted, clutching her cup in both her hands, absorbing the soothing heat.

"But you didn't," he stated, and she lifted her head, waiting for him to elaborate.

"That's it? I tell you I wanted to hurt him, using magic, and all you find to say is that I didn't?"

David shrugged. "Well, what else is there to say? You wanted to use magic and didn't, you controlled yourself, Archie is still in one piece and when you have had the chance to cool off, you and him will talk about this calmly."

Regina gaped at him. "How can you make it sound so simple?"

"Because it is. People fight all the time, they get upset over things, they argue and they make up. I won't deny that what he did wasn't wrong, on the contrary I don't think he should have talked to Emma about your sessions, but you know Archie, he meant well and he is probably torturing himself over the fact that this will set you back and cause you to be more guarded around him."

She stared, unblinking and his brow furrowed.

"You thought I was going to judge you for that?" He added and she acquiesced, biting her bottom lip. "You still have trouble with that friendship thing, don't you?"

"The only friend I had, I imprisoned in her dragon form under the clock tower for 28 years, so yes you could say I have trouble," she revealed wryly.

"Hm good thing I don't know how to transform into a dragon then."

"That could be arranged, if you piss me off one day."

"At least, you've got the banter part right," he grinned. "You feeling better?"

"Surprisingly, I do. Trust is not something I have ever given readily and what Archie did only reminded me why, but you're right, I so easily fall back into my old ways of reacting to betrayal that I was blinded. I will talk to him in the morning, and maybe even listen to what he has to say for a change," her smile was shy, tentative, but he had no doubt of her sincerity and he felt proud of her for reasons he didn't even want to begin to analyse.

"Poor guy will be shaking in his boots when he sees you arrive."

"That will serve him right."

They finished their drinks, talking about anything and everything, mostly Henry and the necessity for Regina and Emma to come to some sort of agreement for his custody.

"I just want her to acknowledge that I am his mother, the only one he had for ten years. I adopted him legally, no one forced her to give him up and to sign off her rights. Is that really too much to ask?" Her eyes were flashing, her fists were clenched and he encircled them both in his hands.

"He actually told her something of the sort the other day. He is starting to realise that he may have treated you unfairly for the past year, and when he heard Emma and Snow arguing about you, he wanted to make things clear to them."

She blinked back tears. "He did?"

David nodded and chuckled. "You should have seen and heard him, he is your son through and through that's for sure."

And she smiled, a true, bright smile, the like of which he didn't remember ever seeing on her face before.

When he looked down at his watch, he started when he realised he had been there for two hours.

"I better go," he exhaled but made no move to get up from the stool.

"You should yes," Regina confirmed but she stayed put as well.

"When I think that just a few weeks ago, I could barely stand the sight of you." he cracked up.

"And the feeling was quite mutual." she concurred.

"We have come a long way, and I'm sure that other people will see the person I see before long," he declared, squeezing her hands one last time before finally standing up.

"As long as my son doesn't forget that, I don't care much about anyone else's opinion," she replied, leading the way to the front door.

"You'll be alright?" He asked, stepping on the porch, looking back at her standing in the doorframe.

"No one will get hurt tonight, don't worry," she assured him.

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

"I'll be fine. Thank you for coming, you really didn't have to."

"Let's agree to disagree on that. Goodnight Regina."

"Goodnight David."

* * *

He should have known things couldn't be that simple, he should have known the relative peace of the past few weeks couldn't last.

He was at the station with Snow, who had just brought him some coffee from Granny's, when he got Emma's call. It took him a minute to absorb the meaning of the words "Archie" and "dead" together in one sentence but when he did, the expression on his face immediately alarmed his wife.

When Emma arrived, accompanied by Ruby and Pongo, Snow was still sobbing on his shoulder and he was stroking her hair comfortingly.

"What happened?" David asked them.

"We don't really know. Pongo led us to him, he was lying on the ground in his office, no sign of a break-in but it was a mess in there. He has been transported to the hospital, maybe Whale can tell us more," Emma explained, looking quite pale and shaken.

"Who could do something like this?" Snow asked tearfully, raising her head from her husband's shoulder.

David saw Emma and Ruby exchange a loaded look. "What is it?"

Emma sighed. "Ruby says she saw Regina going into Archie's office last night," she announced and a bomb dropping probably would have shocked him less.

Snow gasped. "What? You think she could…" she started but David cut her off.

"When was this?" He asked instead.

The three women looked taken aback but Ruby thought about it for a second.

"I was closing up so it was around 9 pm," she answered.

"Are you certain?" David insisted.

"Yes, I am," Ruby confirmed. "I looked at the time after seeing her, wondering what the hell she was doing there at this hour."

"Why are you asking that?" Emma questioned, narrowing her eyes at her father.

"Because it can't have been her. It's not Regina you saw Ruby," David replied.

"I assure you it was her…"

"And I'm telling you it's impossible."

"How can you be so sure?" Emma inquired.

David scrubbed his hand over his face and then combed it through his hair. "Because I was with her at that time."

A chorus of "What?" greeted his answer and he grimaced.

"Care to clarify that a bit?" Snow demanded, her voice cold, as she took a couple of steps away from him.

"The phonecall I got last night, it wasn't Mrs Fisher, it was Regina."

"Why did you lie?"

"What did she want?"

Snow and Emma asked simultaneously.

"She needed to talk, she was upset so I told her I would come over."

"And you decided to lie about it," Snow said, glaring at him.

David sat on the edge of his desk. "Look, the important thing right now is that she didn't do it and finding Archie's murderer is what we should focus on."

"We are not done talking about this, David," Snow pressed on.

"Mary Margaret, David is right, we need to find out what happened to Archie," Emma tried to appease her mother. "You'll both have time to discuss this later."

Right on cue, David's cellphone rang and he gulped when he saw who was calling.

"Hello?" Was all he could manage to say before Regina's voice invaded his ear and he wanted to headslap himself for forgetting that she was supposed to go and see Archie this morning. "Yes, something did happen. Look, we're at the station, it would probably be best if you came down here so we could tell you in person," he paused as she replied. "Believe me, you don't want to hear this over the phone… Okay, see you in a bit," he said and he hung up.

"That was _her_ , wasn't it?" Snow stated more than asked, emphasizing the 'her' with all the bitterness she could manage.

"It was Regina, yes. She wanted to see Archie this morning to talk about their argument."

"They do say the culprit always comes back to the scene of their crime," Snow remarked causing David to roll his eyes.

"Snow, this is the last time I'm going to say it and then you will drop it, she didn't do it, she couldn't possibly have done it."

"She is a witch, she could have cast a spell on you to make you believe she was here, or she could have sent a body double, or I don't know what else her twisted mind could have conjured to create herself an alibi," Snow argued.

David only stared at her. "Where is the person who always wanted to see the good in Regina, even when no one else was willing to? Where is the woman who stopped her execution because she thought there was still hope?"

"She got burned one too many times, David. She got separated from her daughter and her husband for 28 years. That's what happened to her! Regina tore us apart, how can you trust her?"

"Because I saw what you always wanted me to see. I saw the Regina you met all those years ago. She promised Henry not to use magic and she put herself through hell to keep that promise. You weren't there Snow, when I went to get Henry back and I had my sword at her neck and she didn't flinch. She could have sent me flying with a wave of her hand but she just stood there. When we didn't hear from her for a few days and Henry was worried, we went back to her house and what we found…" He stopped, pressing a hand against his forehead, gathering his thoughts because the vision of the once all powerful Queen, sitting so weak and helpless on her bathroom floor was something he still had trouble coming to terms with.

"Magic is a drug, Snow, a hard drug, and for 28 years she didn't have access to it, she was completely free of it, but then Gold brought it back and it was like waving a free sample in front of an addict. She had to quit it and it wasn't pretty but she still did it, for Henry. So yes, she was angry with Archie last night, very pissed off, with good reasons, but she would have never risked to throw it all out of the window, not with her son's trust hanging in the balance. She used magic a grand total of two times since that day, one of those she didn't have a choice and I'm pretty sure she would have rather died than have to do what she did; and the other was because Henry and I asked her to, to find you and we know how that ended," he felt as if he had run a marathon after his speech and Snow looked like he had slapped her in the face.

The sound of a throat being cleared made him raise his head sharply, and when his eyes caught Regina's pale face he wondered how much she had heard.

"What is going on here?" She asked, one hand absent-mindedly petting Pongo's head, the dog having left the corner where he was mopping to greet her excitedly, as usual. She looked from Emma to Ruby to Snow and finally David, raising her eyebrows expectantly at him.

He opened his mouth to talk but Emma beat him to it.

"Hum, Regina, there is no good way to announce this. We found Archie earlier this morning, he was in his office, dead," it was blunt, nothing delicate or soft in the way Emma delivered the news and Regina faltered, gaping at the blonde, loosing her footing and leaning against the wall for support, abandoning Pongo in the process, causing the dog to whine.

It took her a few moments to recover, she attempted to talk several times but had to swallow back whatever words were on the tip of her tongue for they wouldn't come out. Finally, she looked up at them, taking in Snow's expression, the way she was watching her like a hawk and she easily understood the situation.

"You think..." she started but had to clear her throat to rid her voice of its gravelly quality. "You think I did this?"

Emma looked at Ruby and then at her parents, looking for the right words.

"Well, Miss Swan? Are you going to put on the handcuffs now or will you at least give me a chance to defend myself?" The unofficial Mayor inquired, joining her arms in front of her and raising them towards the newly reinstated Sheriff.

"No need for the dramatics, Your Majesty. David already gave us your alibi," Emma informed the brunette who turned towards David in wonder.

"You did?" Her tone was disbelieving enough to bruise his ego a bit.

He widened his eyes at her comically. "Thought I wouldn't?"

She shrugged. "You will forgive me for being cautious."

David smirked and a witty reply was already forming on his lips but Snow interrupted them angrily.

"Oh just stop with the banter already," she snapped. "The reason we believe you did it is because Ruby saw you going into his office last night."

Regina turned towards her, her eyes cold, her expression neutral, too much so, and Pongo, sitting by her side, must have felt her growing tension for he growled at Snow, whose eyes widened in surprise.

"I'm sorry, did I miss your appointment as Sheriff, dear? What business do you have here?" Regina asked her former step daughter in such a poised and calm manner that the Princess was taken aback.

"I… I am one of this town's leaders…" she stuttered and Regina sneered.

"Are you certain everyone is aware of that? Because I am still the one receiving the paperworks, thanks to your husband actually. My eviction from office lasted a week before they all realized that David couldn't do it all on his own. Of course, they pretended that I wasn't the one working behind the scenes, but still it doesn't appear they believe much have changed with your return."

"Regina.." David tried to appease her before things escalated.

"Don't you 'Regina' me, David. I have just been announced that one of the very few people I could actually call a friend in this town has been killed and your precious wife is accusing me, despite having been given an alibi by none other than you. It seems even your word isn't good enough for her. I refuse to be insulted in that way by someone who has no authority to do so," she exclaimed and Snow's jaw dropped.

"Are you going to play the victim here? After everything you have done, that's your angle?" the younger brunette blurted incredulously.

"Oh no, that has always been your thing, dear. You have been doing it for so long I could never hope to master that craft quite as well as you," Regina quipped, her sneer widening, her eyes crinkling as she enjoyed ruffling the one whom she still considered a girl's feathers.

"That's enough!" Emma hit her fist over her desk, startling them all. They had forgotten about her and Ruby's presence. "Mary Margaret, Regina is right," she announced to their utter astonishment. "You shouldn't intervene in this case and you are obviously too biased to see things clearly. David gave us her alibi and she didn't know anything about Archie's death until we told her, that's good enough for me. Now, instead of tearing each other into shreds maybe we should focus on finding Archie's killer," her speech was met with a deafening silence, all too surprised to speak.

"You are taking her side?" Snow's lips were trembling as she pointed to Regina with her finger, silently begging her daughter.

Emma sighed and looked away from her mother. "I am taking Archie's side. He would want us to find who really did this to him and not to lock away an innocent."

"Innocent? Innocent? This is Regina, we're talking about. She is the least innocent person in this whole town," Snow exploded and Pongo barked, Regina needing to take hold of his collar to hold him back.

"She is innocent of this and I think you really should go now," Emma replied.

Her mother gasped but when she realised how serious Emma was, she grabbed her bag and headed towards the exit, stopping right in front of Regina to hiss "I hope you're satisfied" and then made sure to crash her shoulder into the other woman's, not that any of it fazed the Mayor in the least.

"Well, now, I would like to be the one to talk to my son if you don't mind," Regina declared, and if she worded it like a request, it was obvious she wouldn't take no for an answer.

Emma exhaled, her patience tried beyond measure. "He was supposed to stay with you tonight, so I don't see any problems with that."

Regina nodded at her and left without looking back, Pongo close behind.

Emma sat heavily in her chair as soon as they couldn't hear the clicking heels anymore.

"That was… That was… I don't even know what the hell I just watched actually," Ruby stammered.

Emma snorted. "Yeah, me neither. I didn't even get a statement from her. This whole case is going to be one giant mess. If words get out before we can clear things up, I don't want to imagine how people are going to react."

"I won't say anything Emma, you can count on me," Ruby said.

"Thank you, I will take your deposition and yours too David, and then we should probably go back to Archie's office and search it. Maybe the person who did it left something behind."

* * *

As they went over the crime scene with a fine-toothed comb, David could feel Emma's gaze on him every so often and he wished his daughter would just tell him what she was thinking.

"I didn't say anything in front of Ruby because things are already complicated enough but I would really like to know what is going on between you and Regina, and this time if you could try the truth instead of that half-assed explanations from the other day when we came back, that would be nice," she said at last and David leaned his head against the cabinet full of files he had just opened.

"There is nothing going on between me and Regina. We are friends, sort of. We learned to tolerate each other for Henry's sake and we had to work together to get you two back. As unbelievable as that sounds I came to trust her. That's all there is to it," he explained, skimming through the folders.

"I might be able to believe you if you could tell me this while looking me in the eyes. I thought something was weird before but seeing you two today. That sounded like a lot more than simply two people who had to 'tolerate' each other," she quoted him, her tone biting.

"I really don't know what you are looking for here!" David exclaimed, turning towards her. "There is nothing going on between me and Regina."

"But there was! Something happened! It had to, you don't come to befriend your sworn enemy in one night just like that!" Emma shouted.

"Whatever you imagine, you're wrong! And we didn't become friends in one night. It took time and efforts and attempted murder and weeks of not knowing what the hell to do about each other and Henry's meddling. Emma, I never saw Regina as a person before this. Back home, she was always this crazy, sadistic witch who was after the head of the woman I love, and was ready to do anything to get it. She had to be taken down, no matter the cost. I didn't care who the hell she was, or what happened to her to make her this way, or even why she hated Snow like that. I didn't see her as a person because it was easier to only imagine her as something to destroy, until I didn't have a choice. She is not at all who I thought, or at least not anymore. It's just very sad that it happens when your mother doesn't seem willing to believe in her anymore," David finished his little speech, his tone heavy and sad, and he let his daughter process his words while he continued his search.

He heaved a sigh when he pulled a file out of the cabinet and found it void.

"What is it?" Emma asked, jumping on the chance to change the subject and David didn't mind it one bit.

"Regina's file, there is nothing in it. The only empty one," he responded, showing it to her.

The Sheriff grimaced. "This is really starting to look like a bad frame job. Don't know if you realise it but it's usually hard to find evidence against someone, and here it seems to be piling up by the hour. I don't think Regina would be so careless."

"No, I don't think so either."

"Now, who would try to accuse Regina, be able to use magic to make Ruby believe she was here instead of at her house, and resort to murder to get what they want?"

"There is only one person that fits all the criterias."

* * *

They barged in Gold's shop, interrupting what looked like the beginning of a romantic picnic between the man and Belle, and demanding answers.

Answers it seemed the Dark One was unable to provide. The only thing they could get out of him, after a reasonable amount of taunts, was that there had been a witness they had missed.

David came from the Enchanted Forest, he had seen things that would appear unbelievable, impossible, all sorts of crazy to the native of this land without magic, but even he felt a bit ridiculous when he called Regina to ask her to bring Pongo to the shop because there may be a way to find out the truth through the dog.

The brunette arrived shortly after, snapping that this better be good because Henry would be out of school soon and David guided her to the back room where Rumplestiltskin greeted the dalmatian with praises no one would have thought him capable of, and kneeled on one knee to pet him. Belle even called him out on it, taking her wary eyes off Regina to focus on the way the imp interacted with the dog.

"That's fascinating, but unless you speak dog, how is Pongo gonna tell us anything?" Emma remarked dryly, leaning against a table, watching the scene with a mix of amusement at the ludicrousness of the situation and defiance as she wondered what kind of tricks the magician would pull.

"Excuse me? What the hell are you talking about?" Regina intervened, her grip on the leash tightening.

"Through magic of course. It won't allow us to communicate, but it will allow us to… extract his memories." Rumple answered Emma, royally ignoring the Mayor, who straightened to her full heeled-height, her lips thinning.

"Extract?" David asked worriedly, moving slightly to put himself between Regina and Gold.

"You don't have to worry. He won't feel a thing," Gold reassured him, standing back up, leaning on his cane, smirking a bit at the protective gesture between the Prince and the Queen _Interesting_ , he couldn't help but think, storing this with all the other pieces of information he had gathered on the two lately.

"Why should we trust you? Couldn't you just as easily use magic to fool us?" Emma objected, catching Regina's eyes and finding the other woman agreeing with her for once.

"Because I'm not gonna be the one using magic. You are," the Dark One dropped and relished in the surprised expression on the Saviour's face

"Me?" she asked, the disbelief clear on her face. "How?"

"You have it within you. Told me so yourself," Gold affirmed, walking to an ancient, heavily decorated wooden wardrobe and opening it.

"You have magic?" Regina asked faintly, looking at the blonde woman, hoping she would deny it, and rolling her eyes when she didn't. "Of course, you do," she muttered under her breath.

"Emma, you don't have to do this," David broke in, not trusting the wizard one bit when he looked so smug.

"If it tells us something about Archie's death, then so be it," Emma replied, now determined to do what she felt was right.

"Now, do you know what this is?" Gold inquired, showing her what he had pulled out of the wardrobe.

"A dream catcher," Emma answered, swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat as the object reminded her of another life, where fairy tales where only that and her sole preoccupation was where she and Neal would sleep.

"Well, it's capable of catching so much more," Gold retorted, chuckling slightly, unaware of the Sheriff's thoughts. Everyone tensed as he approached Pongo once more and passed the dream catcher over the dog and it shimmered with a golden light.

"What is that?" Belle wondered, frowning.

"Memories," Rumple answered. "Now, Miss Swan, you show us how," he added, handing the enchanted object to Emma.

"How? It's just a jumble," the blonde demanded impatiently.

"Will it," the Dark One explained. "Will it and we shall all see."

Emma took the dream catcher from his hands, exhaling deeply. She looked into the swirling light, trying to make sense of it.

"I can't," she said, after a moment.

"Yes, you can," Rumple whispered, watching her intently.

Emma focused harder, closing her eyes tightly, and Regina griped David's wrist when the first images appeared.

"Emma, you're doing it…" David breathed out, before freezing when the scene unfolded. He felt Regina's nails dig into his skin, and she was so pale he wondered if she would faint.

"This is… this is...impossible," Regina stammered.

"Thought you had taken care of all your loose ends, Your Majesty?" Gold smirked, immensely enjoying his former student's distress.

"This isn't what happened! You know it, right?" Regina pleaded, looking from David to Emma.

The blonde looked doubtful but her father didn't waver. "Of course, we know it. If only for the simple fact that our main witness doesn't seem to be very scared of the person who apparently killed his master."

"David, we can't just ignore this. Pongo's reactions are not the most reliable…" Emma started but David cut her off.

"If we are trusting those so called memories then he is a witness, and if you haven't noticed he has been very protective of Regina ever since she came to the station, even against your mother. Is it possible that someone else in this town could magically change their appearance?"

Regina gasped, covering her mouth with a shaky hand, and turned wide eyes towards Gold.

"It's _her_ , isn't it? She found a way to get through. She is here!"

Gold raised his eyebrows. "I have no idea what you mean, dearie."

Regina stepped closer to him, until they were toe-to-toe. "Rumple, if I have ever been anything more to you than a pawn in that twisted plan of yours. If you still have one shred of humanity in your dark heart, you will stop playing games and answer me. I got you here, I cast your damn curse and you tried to kill me. This," she pointed to the dream catcher in Emma's hands, "could mean losing my son forever and I won't allow it because I didn't kill Archie. We have known each other a long time, if I had done this, either no one would know, or I would be bragging about it. This isn't my style, but it's _hers_ , manipulation, working in the shadows to get what she wants, she learned from the best, didn't she? She is here."

"What do you want me to say?" Rumple asked, his eyes never leaving hers, the tension in the room so intense everyone got the impression the very air was crackling with electricity.

"You can feel her magic, you know it better than anyone else, you awakened it. This reeks of her," Regina paused for a moment, searching his face. "If I'm right and you deny the truth, you will be vulnerable to her. If she is here, she is coming after us both and we better be prepared and united if we want to have a chance."

Gold pinched his lips and held out his hand towards Emma, his gaze still firmly on the Queen. Emma handed him the dream catcher and he raised it in front of his former student's face.

Archie's murder replayed but when the pretend Regina was choking the therapist, he paused the image, concentrating until smoke surrounded the impostor and was replaced by Cora.

Regina stepped backwards, almost tripping on Pongo's leash. "I need to go," she whispered, heading to the back door.

"Regina," David called after her. She looked back at him and the sight of unshed tears in her eyes made him take a step forward.

"I have to go to Henry, make sure he is safe," she said and left.


	4. A Mother's Love

_A/N: I can't believe it's been so long since I last updated this story! Apart from saying that time flew by much faster than I anticipated and that life has been crazy busy I don't really have an excuse. Still I want to thank you all for your reviews, your follows and favourites, you guys rock. A big shoutout to my darling Manon (Lolymoon here) for her beta work. I hope you enjoy this chapter._

* * *

 **A Mother's Love**

* * *

Regina arrived at the school with no memories of the road and no idea how she made it there in one piece given with how distracted she had been. Her mother was here, she had found a way through to Storybrooke and had already started wreaking havoc into what little Regina had managed to build back up after the Curse broke. She couldn't let her continue, she had to put a stop to it before it was too late.

She didn't even notice the distrustful looks of the other parents, too focused on trying to find her son. He ran to her, a wide grin on his lips, and she sighed in relief. She clutched his shoulders the second he was in arm's reach and crushed him against her, resting her cheek on his head.

"Mom, what's wrong? You're shaking," Henry asked, pulling back slightly to look at her.

Regina gave him an uncertain smile, reining herself in, Henry was safe and in her embrace, she could calm down now, Cora didn't get to him. A nagging doubt invaded her mind though, reminding her that her mother had already fooled several people, and it compelled her to question her son.

"Henry, sweetheart, do you remember what I gave you when you came home from school saying you were the only child who knew how to read?"

He frowned at her desperate tone and the way she couldn't let go of him. He raked his brain to call back the memory and it suddenly dawned on him.

"My first comic book. You took me to the store and bought it and I read it to you that night. I had been looking at them for weeks and you said I could only get them when I could do more than look at the pictures," he chuckled at the souvenir, at the way his mom had laughed at his attempt at imitating different voices for each characters, at her pride when he had been able to read from cover to cover without help.

Tears gathered in Regina's eyes and only sheer willpower prevented them from falling. "It's really you," she murmured, hugging him to her again.

"You're being weird, Mom," Henry said against her chest, confused, but he didn't move from her arms.

Regina let escape a broken laugh. "I know, honey, and I'm sorry about that. We need to talk, but not here," she said, sweeping a look around to see the other parents hastily turning away, pretending they hadn't been avidly watching the exchange.

She led him to the car, keeping a hand on one of his shoulder to reassure herself. She drove them to where his Castle by the sea once stood. She knew that despite its destruction by the last storm, he still loved the view and she hoped it would bring him some comfort after she delivered the gruesome news.

"Henry, sweetheart, I've got something to tell you and it won't be easy to hear," she started.

"Does it have something to do with why Pongo was on his own and acting crazy this morning?" Henry asked, frowning.

Regina sighed. "It does, yes. Archie was hurt very badly last night."

"What does that mean, Mom? Will he be alright?"

Her eyes filled with tears again and she cupped her son's cheek. "I'm so sorry, Henry, but no, he won't be alright," she swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. "Archie is dead," she whispered.

Henry blinked several times, trying to understand what she was saying because it didn't make any sense to him. "But… but… he can't be," he stammered, his bottom lip trembling, his eyes begging her to refute what she just announced, and a single tear fell along her cheek as she stroked his gently.

"I wish I could tell you it's all a lie but I can't. Archie is gone."

He threw himself at her, squeezing her fiercely, fully crying, and it tore Regina apart. "He was a good guy. Good guys aren't supposed to die," he sobbed brokenly.

There was no word she could offer him, she knew that his vision of the world was still so very black and white, as any child's should be, that his illusion that good always wins and only villains are hurt in the fight was very strong. She couldn't bring herself to tell him that it unfortunately wasn't the case, that she herself had made it her mission a long time ago for it not to be the case.

They stayed like this, locked in their embrace for long minutes, until his sobs subsided. "What happened?" Henry asked, his forehead pressed against her neck, the slow caress of her hand in his hair lulling him to a calmer state.

"What we feared finally happened, my mother found a way to get through. She is in Storybrooke, she is the one who hurt Archie," Regina explained, trying to hide the utter panic she felt at the simple mention of the woman who was supposed to love her unconditionally, more than anyone else in all the worlds but who had never been able to show it.

Henry straightened up, gasping. "Why would she do something like that? Archie never hurt anyone, he didn't deserve this!"

Regina thought that maybe she didn't do too bad raising her son if he still viewed the world through those innocent and naive eyes even in spite of recent events. Something in his statement hit her though, why indeed would Cora kill Archie? What did she have to gain from it? Apart from turning everyone against Regina once more of course, but that wasn't exactly a hard fit.

She knew her mother, Cora never did anything for just one reason, and only killing someone that could prove as valuable as Archie didn't make sense. Her file had disappeared from his office, David had told her as much, but Cora would never trust words on paper if she could get the informations directly from the person who had written them.

"Henry, you're a genius!" She exclaimed suddenly, and her son looked at her, completely bewildered, as she restarted the car.

* * *

Back at the pawn shop, David and Emma were trying to make sense of what they had seen earlier in the dream catcher.

"What does it really mean? That Cora is here? What is going to happen now?" David asked, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at Gold, but it was Emma who answered.

"That woman is a crazy psychopath. She pretended to be this Lancelot guy for months to rule over the Enchanted Forest's survivors and she ripped all their hearts out when it suited her best. She felt no remorse, it meant nothing to her," she said, grimacing at the memory of the zombie attack.

"I get the picture but I would like to hear what Gold has to say. How dangerous is she? What's the story here between you two?" David demanded, still not taking his eyes away from the shop's owner.

"I don't see how it is any of your business," Gold replied with a sneer.

"If we are to face this witch, I would like to know what we are up against, and it seems you have many answers on that front," David insisted, stepping closer to the Dark One, towering over him.

"I don't remember when anything was said about a "we" being needed to defeat Cora. I can take care of this," Gold said, rolling his eyes.

"Really? Because when you were standing in front of the well, trying to seal the portal shut, taking the risk of killing Emma and Snow in the process, you didn't seem very confident in your abilities to defeat her. You looked more like a desperate man, afraid of what would come for him and ready to do anything to stop it from happening," David retorted.

"Rumple," Belle intervened when it appeared the wizard was about to reply nastily. "We only want to help," she told him in a soft voice, squeezing his forearm soothingly.

Gold studied her for a moment, and then he huffed and turned back to the two Sheriffs. "All you need to know about Cora is that she is very powerful, very ambitious and will stop at nothing to get what she wants, which for now seems to be her daughter back in the fold. You think Regina was bad, you have no idea what your lives will be like if Cora manipulates her into doing her bidding."

"We had a glimpse of that," Emma said darkly.

The Dark One chuckled darkly. "I don't think you realise what a threat a reunited mother and daughter could be for this town."

"Regina doesn't have any reason to let her mother get to her, we won't let it happen," David intervened in a strong, assertive tone.

Gold smirked. "Really? May I ask what your dear wife thinks about the situation? I don't see her here, I would have expected Snow White to be at the front row. Not as convinced as you are about the Queen's redemption? Trouble in paradise?" He needled.

"We have proof now, proof even Snow can't deny," David replied.

"Better tell her quickly then, we wouldn't want her to spread some unfounded rumours to her loyal followers, would we?" Rumplestiltskin said and David exchanged a dark look with Emma.

"He is right, David, you need to talk to Mary Margaret," his daughter told him and David sighed.

He took his cellphone out of his pocket to call his wife and cursed under his breath when he realised he had left it on silent. He had 10 missed calls from Snow and about as many voicemails, each one sounding angrier than the precedent, he would never hear the end of it. Her latest message stated she was at the loft, he decided to head there without warning her first.

"What will you do?" He asked Emma.

"I'm gonna ask around if anyone noticed someone looking like Cora. She came straight from the Enchanted Forest, she doesn't know this world, she's bound to attract some attention," the young woman explained and her father nodded.

"Good plan. We will be in touch," he added towards Gold.

"Looking forward to it," the sorcerer deadpanned and both Sheriffs rolled their eyes before leaving the shop.

* * *

David was dropped off in front of their building by Emma, who attempted to give an encouraging smile, but it looked more like a grimace. She promised to call him with an update as soon as possible and then drove off in the squad car. The once Prince Charming gathered his courage and climbed up the stairs leading to the apartment he shared with his family.

He found Snow curled up on the couch, clutching a mug tightly in her hands, eyes unfocused. She hadn't noticed him yet, he called her name gently and she startled, righting her mug before the content could spill out.

She glared at him. "Well, look who finally decided to show up."

"I'm sorry, my phone was on silent, I wasn't ignoring you," he replied.

"It certainly looked like it," Snow muttered. "What kept you so busy?" She asked louder.

"Emma and I found some evidence against Archie's murderer. We know who really did it," he hoped this would finally put an end to Snow's doubts but her skeptical expression didn't bode well.

"Really?" She inquired.

"Cora," he answered simply and she blanched.

"What?" She cried out.

"Cora is here. She managed to find a portal or something, we're not sure yet, but she is the one who killed Archie while pretending to be Regina," David explained.

Snow looked down, swallowing heavily at the last part of his sentence. "Oh," she let out, for lack of anything better to say.

"I won't ask you to apologize for doubting me, though Regina would probably appreciate a word from you," David started but decided not to insist as she squirmed uncomfortably. "You know what Cora wants, or rather who. We can't let that happen, Snow."

His wife stayed silent and he sighed, sitting beside her. "Regina is trying, isn't it what you always wanted? When you came back from the Enchanted Forest, you were so confident in that, you even said you wanted to be sure she was alright in the Netherworld. What happened?"

Snow fidgeted with her hands, unable to look at him. "I thought things would be different, I thought we could finally make some progress, but nothing has changed. She hates me, she doesn't want anything to do with me. She is trying for Henry, she even trusts you, but she can't with me," she admitted quietly and David's eyebrows flew up.

"So you reacted that way because you are jealous?" He blurted before he could stop himself and she laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Regina isn't always exaggerating when she calls me a selfish brat," she said.

"That's not what I meant..." David defended.

"But it's the truth," Snow cut him off. "I wanted her all to myself. I didn't realise what it would mean for her at the time. There are some things I still don't know and that I probably never will, and there is nothing I can do to make it better because she won't let me."

"I don't think you can make anything better with the attitude you had lately Snow."

"I know," Snow whispered. "Some habits are hard to break."

David exhaled, looking for the right thing to say, but the ringing of his cell phone saved him the trouble.

* * *

Regina hesitated at the morgue's entrance, on the one hand she didn't want Henry to be confronted to what they were about to see, on the other she knew they were still on shaky grounds and maybe this would help him trust her.

She took a deep breath, squeezing the hand Henry had slipped in hers and pushed the door open. They were greeted by one of the dwarves -she didn't even try to pinpoint his name, she could never bring herself to care-, in a security guard uniform. His eyes widened in surprise and fear at the sight of her but he quickly stood up from his post to place himself in their way.

"I don't care what you want, you're not welcome here," he said and the Evil Queen in her laughed at his attempt to look brave.

She was about to retort harshly but Henry spoke first. "I just want to see Archie, Sleepy. I asked my mom to be here to support me."

The dwarf's expression softened. "Oh, sure, Henry, of course, I'm sorry," he stammered and stepped away.

"Since when are you so sneaky and manipulative, young man?" Regina asked lowly as soon as they were out of earshot, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Well I am your son," he replied in a 'duh' tone that made her chuckle.

"I'm not sure if this is a compliment or a veiled insult," she said, smiling.

"Maybe a bit of both," he told her cheekily.

They both stopped in front of a room labeled 'Autopsy'.

"You don't have to come in here with me, honey. It's alright," Regina said comfortingly, seeing the uneasy look on his face.

He gulped and straightened up. "I can do this, Mom," he answered, nodding.

She smiled fondly, brushing her thumb along his cheek. "My brave little prince. Okay, let's do this, then."

They entered the room and Regina could immediately feel the pulse of her mother's magic slithering along her skin. It felt acrid, corrosive, biting, like restraints making it impossible to move, like flesh being opened and then closed back up just to teach her a lesson, like sharp disappointed words hurting as much as any wounds. Bile rose up in her throat suddenly and she must have paled for Henry looked at her, concerned.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm fine."

He didn't seem convinced but he humoured her. Regina knew instinctively where 'Archie's' body was and she headed straight to the freezer containing it, the pulse beating stronger and stronger as she approached.

The table slid, letting appear the black cover, she zipped it opened, closing her eyes, stalling the moment his face would come into view, even if she knew it wasn't really him.

"Henry," she called. "You do realise that to lift my mother's spell, I need to use magic."

Her son nodded. "I know, Mom, and it's okay. You're using it for good this time."

 _He makes it sound so easy_ , Regina thought. He didn't understand that after giving up magic the way she did, calling it again wouldn't be a walk in the park. She would need to find the right balance between enough power to work her spell but not too much that she would fall off the wagon. _You can do this_ , she encouraged herself.

She gathered her focus, her magic flooding in her veins slowly, too slowly, she tried to quicken the process but it was too intense, too much, too fast, she felt like her blood was boiling, her stomach churned, sweat broke out on her brow and she griped the sliding table tightly, the cool metal a relief to her overheated body.

 _You need to calm down, it's a simple spell, no need to work yourself up over it_ , a little voice that annoyingly sounded like Rumple's whispered in her ear. Funnily enough it worked, she got her control back and raised her hand over the body lying in front of her. It shimmered a glowing purple and Archie's features disappeared, the suit replaced by a yellow oilskin, the hair lengthened, the reddish brown becoming a greasy salt and pepper.

Once the metamorphosis was complete, Henry came to stand by her side.

"He is one of the fishermen," Regina stated, searching through her mental inventory of the curse to pinpoint his identity.

"Emma said they came across Captain Hook during their trip in the Enchanted Forest. He was working with your mother," Henry informed her and her eyebrows raised at the news.

"Well then I think we know how they came here," she said.

"On his ship!" Henry exclaimed.

Regina nodded. "And where do you find a ship?"

"The harbour."

"Exactly," Regina replied, looking for David's number on her phone.

* * *

They picked him up on the way to the harbour. Regina and David both trying to convince Henry to stay behind but they knew better.

Emma joined them, Archie riding shotgun in the squad car.

"Belle found him on Hook's ship, told him to go to Gold while she held him back," she explained and Regina winced.

"Not sure what we're going to find over there if these two are reunited. You three stay behind, especially you Henry, and let me deal with it."

"Don't think so, Madame Mayor, this is Sheriff business," Emma told her and the brunette rolled her eyes.

"Right, because you think that with your newly discovered powers you can be a match for the Dark One in his wrath? Or that maybe your gun would be enough?" Regina argued, standing toe to toe with the blonde. "You would be nothing more than an annoying fly on the wall for him and do you know what he does to annoying flies on walls? No, of course you don't, because you have no idea what you are up against. Surviving a trip in the Enchanted Forest is one thing, Miss Swan, very impressive, but this is a whole other league, so stand back and keep Henry safe. Isn't that supposed to be the whole point of you coming to this town?"

She pushed past the younger, stunned woman, not waiting for an answer. The same pulse of magic she had felt earlier at the morgue guided her to the right pier. She noticed some sand on the ground and guessed that Belle must have used it to locate the ship. _Clever girl_ , she thought as she raised her foot into what appeared to be thin air and found one of the wooden steps.

The others followed cautiously and they all paused as they took in the scene beyond the cloaking spell: Rumplestiltskin beating up Captain Hook with his cane, while Belle tried to dissuade him.

"You know, as much as it pains me to say it, the pirate would be more useful to us alive. You should probably stop at a few broken ribs, it ought to be enough for the lesson to sink in," Regina mused out loud, in an infuriatingly calm tone.

"You stay out of this, Regina," the Dark One growled, not looking at her, still focused on hitting the man lying in front of him.

"He has dreamed of it for so long, no one can stop him now," Hook gasped out.

"You should learn to shut up and let the grown-ups talk," Regina threw at the pirate, rolling her eyes. "And I'm afraid I can't stay out of it," she added, speaking to Rumple again, moving closer until she stood beside him. "He helped my mother to come here, he may know some things that could help us, isn't that more important than this little dance you two have been playing for the past three centuries?" She asked, putting her hand over his on the cane when he seemed to consider her words.

"I can't promise not to finish the job once he has ceased to be of any value," Rumple said through gritted teeth.

"You can resume your game later for all I care," she replied and her former teacher nodded, taking a step back.

Hook attempted to get up but Regina prevented it by placing her foot on his chest. "Not so fast, dear. You have managed to get on the bad side of both the Dark One and the Evil Queen, that's quite an impressive feat here," she told him in that low, seductive tone that had done a number on so many men back in the day.

She leaned forward, cupping her cheek, resting her elbow on her knee, putting more pressure on his chest and he hissed in pain. "I seem to remember that we had a deal the two of us. You tricked me, made me believe she was dead. Not a very smart move."

"You never had any intention to deliver. Cora told me that the curse would wipe out everyone's memories, replace them, I would have been as clueless as the rest of them," Hook spat, struggling under her but she moved her foot so her spiked heel would be right over his heart and he stopped.

"She said that, didn't she?" Regina inquired. "And did she also tell you that I'm the one who chose everyone's punishment, that I could have had you keep your memories if I had seen it fit?"

He hadn't expected that, so she pressed on. "Yes, that's right, Captain, you could have been here with your arch nemesis completely oblivious and harmless. You could have had your fun, twenty-eight years of it if you had wanted to, but you gave it all away for my mother and what did it get you? Here are your options: either you help us, you cooperate and you might get a chance to survive, you might even get a shot at your revenge, or you don't and I let Rumplestiltskin finish the job right now. Choose wisely," and with that she stepped back and exchanged a dark look with Rumple.

Hook pondered her proposition for a moment. "What do you want to know?" He asked at last and Regina smiled.

* * *

It turned out that Hook didn't have much to tell them about Cora's plans. He only knew that she wanted Regina back by her side and was getting to go at great lengths for that to happen, which Archie confirmed, but he hadn't been really interested in the specifics, especially once they finally were in Storybrooke, he was only focused on his vengeance.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side again," David whispered in Regina's ear, as she stood watching Henry who was curiously studying the pirate Emma was securing in the car, making her jump slightly. She turned her head towards him with a questioning look. "It was quite an impressive little display you put on there. I think even Gold was amazed."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Charming," she threw back coyly, the hint of a grin on her lips.

"Are you sure?" He murmured, sending shivers down her spine.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, confused by his attitude. Was he flirting with her?

He shrugged, not really knowing what he was doing either. He found it harder and harder to control his impulses around her. She was proving to be so much more that he had ever expected, while his relationship with Snow left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth. More and more, he surprised himself comparing the two women, and Snow rarely won, which had to be the mother of all irony.

"David?" Regina called, pulling him out of his thoughts.

He looked back down at her, smiling softly. "I was just thinking that you play the bad cop quite well, should I be worried you'll come after my job?"

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "As if I could ever work with your daughter. That would be a disaster waiting to happen."

"I don't know, it has a certain ring to it, two super-women working together, uniting their powers for the good of all," he said, looking faraway, over her head.

"If you are imagining me in one of those skimpy leather costumes, I'm gonna have to hit you," Regina threatened and he made the mistake of picturing the image. He coughed and bit his bottom lip and she punched him on the upper arm, hard enough for him to protest. "You have spent too much time reading Henry's comic books, dear," she said, while he rubbed the tender spot, "and you have things mixed up, I would not be a superhero in those, maybe a supervillain or one of those misunderstood vigilante with a tragic past that people fear and admire at the same time."

David quirked a brow at her. "You have given this a lot of thoughts."

"Who do you think introduced Henry to comic books in the first place?" She replied, smiling but it dropped when he gave her a strange look. "What?"

"I like it when you share stories of his childhood. I know it's not easy for you to accept that we are his family too and those memories are precious to you, so thank you for giving me this," he said solemnly.

Words were robbed from her, she realised as she opened her mouth to form a response that never passed her lips. Thankfully, Henry barrelling into them saved her the embarrassment of being speechless in front of Charming of all people.

"Archie says he would like to shower and rest a bit but he wants to meet up at Granny's later for dinner to thank us all for helping find him," he announced, his arms around her waist, his chin resting comfortably on her stomach, his head leaning back to look at her.

She hid a wince, this would be an awkward dinner for sure, but it seemed that the path of redemption had a couple of those in store for her. She sighed. "If we must," she said at last and was rewarded by a brilliant smile from her son.

"You and Archie still need to talk after all," David contributed, unhelpfully Regina thought.

* * *

He had insisted on accompanying them home, even after she argued that he would have to walk all the way back to the loft.

"I just want to be sure you get home safely, humour me," he had told her and she had complied begrudgingly.

So here they were parked in her driveway and some strange sense of foreboding made Regina slow to open her door, Henry would call it 'spidey sense', she called it 'too many years of having to watch over her shoulder'.

"You okay?" David asked, noticing her hesitancy.

She shook herself. "I'm not sure what it is but I'm having the strangest feeling, as if something was telling me to start back the car and leave."

Both Henry and David raised their eyebrows. "Why is that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know," she answered, looking intently at her front door as if it could give her a clue. She pushed back the odd sensation and got out of the car, the boys following behind her. She put her hand on the handle of the door and the feeling grew ten times stronger. She fought it again, blaming it on raw nerve caused by her mother's presence in town.

She entered cautiously and she knew at once that the house had been visited.

"Stay back," she shot at David and Henry who had come in as well, but it was too late. The door slammed shut and they heard the click of the lock.

"No one is going anywhere," an all-too-familiar voice spoke, preceding Cora's appearance on top of the hallway's stairs, in full Enchanted Forest garb. "Not until we have had a chance to talk," she added, descending the steps slowly until she stood right in front of her daughter.

Regina's every instincts were screaming at her to take ten steps back for each of Cora's but she stood her ground to protect Henry.

"Hello, Regina. It's been so long," Cora said softly, stroking her cheek with the back of her fingers. "Look at you, this new world of yours suits you."

It was the tentative smile on her face that threw Regina off the most. Nothing could have prepared her for her mother showing… kindness? It certainly looked sincere enough. Which meant Regina had to be even more on her guard.

"Hello, Mother," she returned the greeting. "I was wondering when you would show up," she kept her tone calm and even, though she was a mess of emotions inside, betrayal and anger being the predominant ones at the moment.

"I was waiting for the right moment, sweetheart, but I didn't expect things to go as they did," Cora answered quietly, looking almost demure.

"Oh, so your little scheme didn't work out as you had planned? What were you expecting exactly? That everyone would turn on me, leaving me vulnerable to you?" Regina asked, her voice raw, on the verge of breaking.

Cora nodded to her daughter's surprise. "I wanted to show you what these people really think of you. I guess I underestimated them."

"If it hadn't been for David, there would have been no way anyone would have believed me, you made an airtight case, and all of that for what exactly?" Regina replied, not knowing what to make of her mother's apologetic attitude.

"Because I needed to tell you that I know why you sent me through the looking glass, why you tried to have me killed. I understand, and it's alright. You're my daughter and I love you. I know now that I went about it all wrong. I never should have made you marry the King," Cora explained, her eyes begging Regina to understand and to forgive.

Regina drew in a sharp breath, her eyes pooling with tears at the reminder of her arranged marriage. "You really think that it's alright? You really believe this makes up for everything you did to me?"

She looked up at the ceiling, reining herself in, exhaling slowly. "You needed me broken, you needed me to be completely dependent of you, and I understand. I understand now that it was the only way you knew to show that you cared. You wanted me to have the life you never had and I had it, Mother. I became Queen, I became more than that, I ruled on my own without a man by my side. I was the most powerful and feared monarch in all the realms, but what you can't accept is that I did it all without you. You set the path for me without ever considering my feelings on the matter and you thought you could reap the benefits but you never got the chance, and now you're trying to claim it all back. Well, here is the thing, Mother, I'm not broken, I have more in my life now," she looked back at Henry whom David was still holding back and she smiled reassuringly at them.

"Despite your best efforts, I built something here. I don't need power or fear to keep people close and I certainly don't need you. This little act you're playing doesn't fool me because no matter what you say or do, when I look at you I still see Daniel's heart becoming ash in your hands, I still see you tricking us into believing we had a chance at a life together." The tears slowly leaked along her cheeks but she didn't wipe them away.

"It was a long time ago, Regina, I have changed since then," Cora insisted. "I swear to you that things will be different if you give me a chance."

"A long time ago? It doesn't seem like a long time ago when I wake up screaming from a nightmare, it didn't seem like a long time ago when a mad scientist recently brought him back from the dead as a monster for me to kill. I have spent my whole childhood giving you chances, I'm done, I'm through. I won't have my son exposed to your toxic influence," Regina said, her fists clenched by her sides.

"I have seen you with him, it's all I dream about for us," Cora pleaded, moving forward but this time Regina did step back.

She shook her head frantically. "No, Mother, it's too late for that."

The older woman sighed. "I am not giving up, Regina. You will see that I mean everything I said," and she disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke.

Regina stood frozen for a moment and then a sob wrenched its way out and she covered her mouth with one hand, placing the other on her stomach, bending a little, desperately trying to regain control of her breathing.

Henry ran to her, sneaking his head beneath the arm over her stomach to embrace her. David followed, taking them both in his arms, pressing his cheek on the top of her head and letting her sob her heart out.


	5. United we stand, divided we fall

_A/N: Well, it's been a while and I'm so sorry about that! The past couple of months have been hellish and writing was alternatively the only thing keeping me going or the worst chore possible. Anyway, I finally finished this chapter and I'm posting it before leaving for Paris and the fairytale con on Friday. I hope you enjoy it, thank you all for your reviews, for reading, favouriting, alerting. For Ella, Vanessa, Sophia and Mel whom I'm going to meet very soon, and of course a huge thank you to Manon for her beta work!_

* * *

 **United we stand, divided we fall**

* * *

Regina broke from their embrace after a few moments, the heart wrenching sobs having died down but her breathing was still no more in control that it had been right after Cora disappeared. She could feel the tell tale signs of one of those full blown panic attacks she hadn't had to deal with since the early days of her marriage, before she had found an outlet for her pent up emotions in her lessons with Rumplestiltskin, and she really didn't want Henry to see this.

"I'm going to head upstairs and get changed," she managed to say, and all but fled the room.

Henry and David watched her leave worryingly but the Sheriff tried to tone it down for his grandson's benefit.

"She just needs a moment to herself, I'm sure she will be alright," he said and Henry turned towards him, doubtful. "Don't you have any homework to do before we go to Granny's?" He tried to change the subject and Henry groaned.

They spent the next half-hour working on his maths exercices but when they finished those and could still hear the water running upstairs, they began to feel uneasy.

"I'm going to check up on her," David announced and Henry nodded gratefully.

The Sheriff ascended the stairs slowly, and he remembered another time not so long ago where he had to go looking for her to reassure Henry. He was as unsure as to what he would find now as he had been then.

He entered her bedroom and walked to the ensuite. He knocked on the door and called her name several times but never got a reply. He hesitated and then half-opened the door.

"Regina?" he tried again. "Are you alright?"

Nothing, no sound from her, only the water running. It had to have turned cold by now, he thought, before stepping fully in the bathroom.

"Oh Regina," he sighed as he set eyes on her.

She was curled up on herself, sitting on the shower floor, shivering as the water spray hit her back. David grabbed a towel and approached her cautiously, trying not to startle her, still not certain she had heard him. He also tried not to let his eyes linger on places they had no business lingering on, silently ordering himself to get a grip.

Glassy eyes and blue lips, shattering teeth and dark locks hanging on her shoulders, she had no response as he shut off the water.

"Come on, you need to get out of here," he said but she only reacted when he surrounded her small frame with the towel, flinching away from him, wide, scared eyes finding his. He backed off immediately.

"It's just me, Regina. Just David. I only came in here to check up on you, that's all," he told her in a soothing tone.

She looked around, realising that she was still in the shower. "You're still here?" She asked, teeth shattering. "You should have taken Henry and left, it's not safe to stay with me. What if my mother comes back?" She was scrambling to get up but slipped on the wet tiles and David had to catch her.

"Easy there. We are not leaving you alone like this, _especially_ when there is a risk that your mother may come back," he said, settling her gently on the ground but keeping his arms around her as he gave her a moment to get her bearings back.

"It's too dangerous, you should both go," she tried again but he tsked.

"Nonsense, we have to go to Granny's to celebrate Archie's return, remember? You need to get ready," he countered and she looked at him in disbelief until their current position seemed to register.

She squirmed out of his hold, tightening the towel around her, clearing her throat and he stepped back.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I will leave you to it, if you're sure you'll be alright, that is?"

Regina nodded, looking down, still uncomfortable.

"You won't do anything drastic like leaving us behind, will you?" David probed.

"If you are foolish enough to stay here, then I'll just have to accept that there is too much of the Charmings family trait in my son for his own safety," she replied, pushing past him, heading to her walk in closet.

"Good," he grinned and she rolled her eyes.

"Get out of here," she growled.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he bowed with a flourish and left the room. He sent a text to Archie, asking him to meet them outside of Granny's, hoping it would make it easier for Regina to talk. Even if she tried to put on a strong façade and pretended that she had recovered from her panic attack, he wasn't fooled.

"Is Mom alright?" Henry demanded as soon as David had set foot in the living-room.

"She will be. She's gonna be down in a minute, why don't you put away your school stuff and get your coat?" He told his grandson and the boy looked at him doubtfully but surprisingly didn't argue.

A few moments later, Regina was descending the stairs, looking like her usual put together self, dressed in black slacks held up by a black leather belt with a golden buckle, a white shirt neatly tucked in and a black blazer covering it, but the nervous smoothing of invisible, and most certainly non-existent, wrinkles over her clothes gave her away. David realised that a few weeks ago he wouldn't have been able to tell the difference, to be perfectly honest he wouldn't have cared to look for it. So much had changed lately and things were still so messy, it was a good thing that he barely got anytime to stop and think about their situation.

If anyone had told him that he would one day have such conflicted feelings for his once murderous but not so Evil anymore stepmother, he would have had them committed right away. Now though, if anyone found out about his conflicted feelings, he would be the one being committed, if not worse. He shook himself and opened the door for Henry and Regina.

She insisted on driving and he indulged her, understood that she needed that bit of control, but he still kept a watchful eye on her during the mostly silent ride.

Archie was seated at one of the little tables outside of Granny's, holding back Pongo -the dog had become decidedly more animated once Regina had come into view-, waiting for them, and Regina's arched eyebrows and sideway glance let David know she had no doubt as to who was responsible for this embush. He smirked at her and led Henry inside the diner.

* * *

Archie pulled a chair out for her to sit in and Regina heaved a sigh before gracefully lowering herself on it, the dalmatian immediately setting its head on her lap and wagging its tail when she started petting him absent-mindedly.

"I understand the past couple of days haven't been easy for you," the former cricket started.

Regina snorted. "Says the man who has been kidnapped by a deranged witch and her pirate acolyte."

A smile pulled at the corner of the man's lips. "Your mother is certainly a one of a kind woman," he said.

"And we are all grateful for that, the world couldn't handle another Cora," Regina told him, rolling her eyes.

"I understand you have seen her today," Archie continued, causing the brunette to stiffen.

"Do not beat around the bush, _doctor_ ," she interrupted him, emphasizing his cursed title. "I know David called you."

Archie nodded. "He did, he was worried. He didn't say much but it seemed to have been a difficult encounter."

"Nothing has ever been easy with my mother, especially when the last time I talked to her she was lying in a coffin, pretending to be dead."

The therapist's eyebrows shot up, he hadn't heard that one before. "Do you mind to elaborate about that a bit?"

Regina shrugged, scratching behind Pongo's ears. "There isn't much to elaborate on. I couldn't afford to have my mother follow me here with the curse, so I sent Hook to kill her. I should have known he would be easily swayed by her promise of revenge, that's what I used on him in the first place. Out of the two of us, it seems my mother was Rumple's better student in the art of manipulation."

"She was taught by the Dark One as well?"

Regina nodded. "That's how I came to contact him in the first place, through one of her old books."

Archie started to finally get a better picture of this complicated story that was Regina's life and how she had gotten on the path that led her to the darkest abysses.

"What had you so afraid that you decided to have your mother killed?" He asked then.

Regina shivered. "Well, you've met her," she sighed when the once cricket only inclined his head, encouraging her to continue. "She has always been under the impression that my life was hers to play with. She even told me as much once. I wanted a fresh start, and I knew I couldn't take the chance that she would be part of the curse and try and use as a marionnette again. I guess I just hadn't realised I had already exchanged one puppeteer for another," the last part she said in a quiet, almost inaudible voice but Archie still heard her.

"Neither your mother nor the Dark One have any hold on you anymore. You're no longer that person," he said and the once and always Queen looked at him with an expression reflecting so much shock and surprise he had to stifle a chuckle.

"You really believe that?" She questioned, sounded unsure, so unlike her usual, confident self.

"I do believe it, I think you are working very hard to redeem yourself for Henry, you have already proven it on several occasions. You have held your ground against your mother, and even managed, from what I heard, to stop Mr Gold from killing the pirate. Does that sound like someone who lets herself be manipulated and enjoys hurting others?" Archie replied gently, offering her a warm smile and squeezing her forearm. "I also wanted to apologize for what I told Emma, about our sessions. I truly wanted to help but I went about it the wrong way and I am sorry."

Regina could only nod and breathe out a 'Thank you', trying to convey how grateful she was for his support with those two simple words.

They stayed quiet for a few more moments, Archie's hand still on her arm, Pongo's head still on her lap, the swishing of his tail the only sound breaking the silence around them.

"Isn't this supposed to be your 'Back from the dead' party?" Regina spoke at last and Archie chuckled.

"I guess it is. We should probably go inside," he replied. "But I won't move until I'm sure you're following," he added when he noticed her hesitancy.

Regina rolled her eyes, cursing under her breath that he knew her too well. "Alright, let's do this then," she sighed.

They entered the diner together and Archie gave her a reassuring smile and headed towards Gepetto, who clapped his shoulders warmly.

Regina studied the people gathered, her eyes lingering on the table around which Henry, David, Snow and Emma sat, but she decided against joining them. Her son and his grandfather she could handle but she was still smarting from Snow's accusations from earlier that day.

She went to the counter, ordering her usual coffee and was caught off guard when Granny managed to smile at her without looking like it hurt her to do so. Maybe she had hit her head somewhere? Regina shook her head at the retreating woman's back.

"You two are so alike sometimes," she heard a soft voice speak from her right and she turned to see Belle sitting on one of the barstool, nursing an iced tea.

Regina gave her a questioning look and the smaller brunette indicated the corner where Mr Gold -for Regina had trouble calling him Rumplestiltskin in her mind when he looked so… normal- sat. He seemed extremely uncomfortable to be here and it made Regina smirk.

"You can't seem to recognize that people are grateful or appreciative when you do something good," Belle continued.

Regina scoffed. "They rarely are and we rarely do anything that warrants this kind of reaction," she replied.

"And don't I know it," the younger woman retorted. "But today you stopped him from killing Hook when I couldn't, that has to count for something."

"It can't be that easy," Regina said, disbelievingly, and Belle shook her head.

"I'm not saying everything is forgiven and forgotten, just that I am enough of a decent person to acknowledge that you're trying. If I can give a chance to Rumple after everything he has done, it would be very hypocritical of me to not try and give you one as well. Even if you did keep me locked up for more than 28 years," she added after a pause.

The Mayor nodded slowly, impressed by Belle's poise. "You've got some guts. That's good, you're going to need it, if you intend to stick by him. He is not going to make it easy for you."

"The last time you gave me advice on our relationship, it didn't end too well for me."

"Well, that was the intent."

"And now?"

"Now," Regina sighed, looking over her shoulder towards the table where Henry sat. "Now, I'm trying to be a better person for my son, and that means not retaliating against Rumple for sending that wraith after me, and putting a stop to that macabre game of ours."

"What happened between you two? How did it get so far?" Belle asked, biting her bottom lip and lowering her eyes at the intense, searching look Regina gave her.

"You don't want to know that," she replied, after a long moment.

Red saved her from further questioning by bringing the burgers Belle had ordered and Regina's coffee. She even surprised the Mayor by addressing her a smile as well.

What the hell was going on with people? Regina wondered, bewildered, as she followed Belle's progress across the room to Rumple. She found the imp watching her intently and nodded at him, he responded in kind, silently sealing a truce between them that would hopefully last.

She sipped her coffee slowly, pondering what to do next. She loathed the idea of parting from Henry and having him spend time with Snow, given how hostile her former step daughter had been recently, but she knew it was the best option for him, the only way to keep him safe from Cora… He wasn't going to like this at all.

She walked to their table, trying not to pay attention when both Snow and Emma stopped talking abruptly as she appeared. She drew Henry to the side, leaning forward to look him in the eyes.

"Henry, honey, I think it would be best if you stayed with Emma and your grandparents tonight," she told him softly and he stiffened immediately.

"No, Mom, no, I want to go home with you," he protested and she shushed him by pressing her index against his lips.

"Henry, it's not safe right now, not with Cora around. Who knows what she plans to do next? I can't risk you getting hurt," Regina explained.

"Mom," Henry tried to speak and it came out muffled so Regina slid her hand away. "I don't want you to be alone," he said earnestly and she melted.

"I know you want to protect me, my little Prince," and it felt so good to be able to call him that again without him rejecting her, "but I can't fight off Cora if I know you could get hurt. Your safety is too important to me."

"What about yours?" Henry insisted.

"I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself, sweetheart," she replied, smiling fondly at his protective attitude.

"You shouldn't have to, I'm the man of the house, that's my job," and though he was playing the tough act, he sounded a bit petulant, still like a child, and for that Regina was glad.

"And you will get back to that job as soon as Cora is gone for good," she promised him, and when he looked doubtful she held out her little finger. "Pinkie swear?"

He huffed, rolling his eyes at her and her smile broadened as she saw him struggling to hide the way the corners of his lips were beginning to lift up. He hooked his little finger to hers and nodded. "You know we haven't done that since I was like six," he felt the need to point out.

"Doesn't make it any less powerful, now does it?" Regina replied instantly.

Henry then hugged her tightly. "Be careful, Mom, I love you," he whispered against her stomach, and it was only because of her very strong will not to cry in this very public establishment that she managed not to let any tears leak.

"I love you too, my little Prince," she returned.

She led him back to the table and told the Charmings that Henry was going to spend the night with them. Well, she mainly addressed Emma because she liked to pretend that Snow didn't exist at the moment, and she wasn't sure she could handle the way David was looking at her, he had seen way too much already. She didn't wait for a reply, just pressed one last kiss on Henry's hair and left.

* * *

As night fell, a very bored pirate was trying to find a way to pass the time in his cell, though after having counted the number of holes in his blanket and the cracks in the ceiling he was growing a bit desperate.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," the smooth voice of Cora resounded in the police station and Hook tensed up immediately, twisting to look at her standing in the doorway, the dwarf supposed to watch him sprawled on the ground, snoring loudly.

"Thought you had forgotten all about me now that you're finally where you have so desperately wanted to get to for so long," he told her bitterly.

Cora chuckled. "Oh my dear, dear Hook, of course I hadn't forgotten about you, but you were foolish enough to let yourself get caught. I had to let the lesson sink in."

The pirate snorted in disgust, thinking that if it was the kind of lessons Cora wanted to teach it was no wonder Regina had rather wanted to have her killed.

"Yes, well, lesson learned and all that. Now can we get to the part where you free me?" He asked, waving around his hand to show the inside of his cell.

"Not just yet, you look so much more receptive like this. What did you tell them about me?" She interrogated him, walking closer to the bars holding him prisoner.

"Not much, I played the clueless sidekick who didn't ask any questions, too interested in his revenge and not much else," he replied and Cora's grin widened.

"I'm sure you were very convincing in that role. So they don't know about the little surprise hidden on board, do they?" She asked and Hook's eyes narrowed.

"That family reunion didn't go down the way you expected it to, did it?" He countered, smirking when her lips pinched and she glared at him.

"That is none of your business. Now, answer me," she growled, using her magic to seize and bring him closer to her until she had a good grip on his chin and was digging her nails into his skin through the bars.

"Alright, alright, no need to become violent, though I wouldn't say no to different circumstances," he managed to say and leered at her but she only tightened her hold. "They don't know about what we have on my ship," he told her quickly, massaging his jaw when she released him.

"Now, that is good news," Cora exclaimed gleefully and Hook looked at her confused. "My daughter is at the moment well surrounded by all those people who pretend to care, but if we create the right distraction I might be able to talk to her alone and convince her of my sincerity."

Hook valued his life too much to let her know what he really thought of the idea.

"And to complete this plan I also need to do a little detour to see your favourite crocodile, I think this part is what you're going to love most," she trailed off, waiting to be sure she had his full attention, and she certainly had it. "You see, if he accepts the deal I have to offer, then it will lead him out of town. Do you know what he won't be able to use out of the borders of this town?"

The pirate looked at her, swallowing hard, not believing that it could be that easy. "His magic. The crocodile will be without bite," he breathed and Cora nodded.

"Exactly, and all you need to do is lead the Charmings to our friend on board and let me do the rest. I am certain that he will take one look at the pretend Prince and become extremely angry for some reason," Cora stated and Hook threw her a curious look. "Ever wondered who took out the giants?"

"The Prince did that?" He replied in disbelief.

"The real one yes, but our shrunken giant doesn't know any better, does he?"

* * *

It was early, too early but David hadn't slept well, so instead of turning and turning on his side of the bed trying not to wake Snow, he decided to get up and do something productive like preparing fresh coffee.

He was worried about Regina, had checked his phone each time he had awoken during the night, and every few minutes since he had gotten up, in the hope that she would send a reassuring text or to be sure that he didn't miss any call for help.

Rationally, he knew she was okay, that she was more than capable of taking care of herself, that she wasn't going to fall back under her mother's influence in one night, but still, just like Henry last night, he was anxious to hear from her. His grandson had insisted on calling his mother before going to bed, and had ended up falling asleep while clutching the phone in his hands, with Regina talking to him long after his breath had evened out.

Emma stumbled down the stairs, trying to sort out the knots in her hair, just as he was pouring himself a cup of the brewed beverage.

"Thought I smelled coffee," she grunted, sitting heavily on one of the counter stools.

"Don't need to ask if you want some then," David said, amused by her antics. He placed her cup in front of her and she groaned as she inhaled its strong scent. "You do know you're supposed to drink it, right?" He mocked her, smirking when she threw him a withering look in reply, not bothering with actual words.

"You think she is alright?" Emma asked, so softly he would have doubted he had heard her if he hadn't seen her lips moving.

He didn't need to clarify who she was talking about. "I hope so," he answered, a bit perplexed by the question.

"I don't even know why I care, I mean we notoriously don't get along and it even came close to murder a couple times but…" Emma sighed. "No matter how much I hate it sometimes, she is Henry's mom. She is always going to be the one who did everything I should have been doing if I had just gotten my shit together. I tried to convince myself that it was all an act, that she didn't really love him, but after what happened the past few days, all the crap she had to deal with and she didn't waver. She put Henry's best interests above everything else. I wasn't even able to do that not that long ago!" She exclaimed.

David studied her, wondering for how long this has been building up. "That's an awfully big speech for so early in the morning," he said and she huffed, rolling her eyes.

"I was being serious," she insisted and he nodded.

"I know you are and I'm glad it finally got through to you, if only for Henry's sake," he stopped talking and they both turned their heads when they heard movement in the bedroom.

Snow emerged from the room a few moments later.

"Good morning," she announced in a chirpy tone and they both hid their winces, not really feeling cheerful, by taking a sip of their coffees.

"Morning," they replied.

A knock on the door prevented any further questioning about why they were up so early. Emma went to open it, her eyebrows flying up as she came face to face with Mr Gold.

"What are you doing here?" She blurted out, but he seemed unfazed by her tone.

"Not bothering with pleasantries then, good. Let's get right to business. You remember that favor you owe me, Miss Swan?"

"Yeah," Emma replied, cautiously.

"I'm cashing it in," Gold announced and Emma swallowed heavily.

"It's not a good…" She tried but he prevented her from continuing.

"You do honor your agreements, don't you?" He asked, but it wasn't a question, she knew it. "I need to find someone, so we're leaving today. Pack a bag," he ordered, and it appeared to be the end of the conversation for him but neither David nor Snow would have it.

"Leaving?" Snow exclaimed, followed very closely by David who asked "Where?".

"Wait, find someone...Who?" Emma wanted to know and Gold sighed impatiently.

"My son. And it has to be today because every minute I'm here is a minute closer to me killing Hook. So it's really best for all concerned if I leave. And you're going to come with me," he declared before adding. "Oh, and we have a long history, so know this, and know it to be true. If any harm comes to Belle while I'm gone, I'm killing all of you," he threatened and they all gulped.

"What's going on?" Henry asked, sleepily, slowly descending the stairs, trying to tame his wild hair.

"Hi, kid," Emma greeted, turning away from Gold. "Hmmmm, what would you think about going on a trip?" She asked him, faking a bright tone and understanding she had failed when Henry stopped abruptly and looked at her with narrowed eyes. He looked so much like Regina in this moment that Emma felt her heart clench a bit and she swallowed uneasily.

"A trip?" The boy asked, looking from Mr Gold's irritated expression, to Emma's expecting one, to David who was shaking his head disbelievingly at his daughter, to Snow's encouraging smile, and he frowned.

"Yeah, you see Mr Gold here needs our help to find someone out of town, and I thought it could be a good opportunity to spend time together," Emma explained, dread slowly filling her stomach, as Henry's grip tightened on the handrail and his expression darkened.

"Out of town," Henry repeated. "You want me to leave Storybrooke with you?" He asked to clarify.

"That's what I said kid," she teased, pasting on a smile that felt so forced her muscles couldn't cooperate for long.

"What does Mom say about it?" Henry questioned and Emma hesitated for a second too long. "She doesn't know, does she? You didn't even ask her?"

"I just heard about it, Henry. I wanted to know if you were alright with it first," she tried but he shook his head.

"Are you going to tell Mom? Or are you just going to try and take me away again?" The boy snarked and Emma sighed.

"Don't be like that, kid. I'm not trying to do anything, I was just suggesting that it could be good to go together."

"Well then I'm saying no. I'm not leaving my mom all alone. Especially now," Henry says vehemently.

"Don't you think that with Cora around she wouldn't want you to be far from here and safe?" Snow intervened, in a gentle and appeasing tone, taking a few steps towards him.

"Snow," David began warningly, but Henry cut him off.

"Why don't you just call her and ask then? Or are you afraid of how she is going to react?"

Emma and Snow exchanged a look and stayed silent.

"You're only pretending to believe she wants to do good," Henry yelled. "You're like everyone else, you only think about the bad things she did before. She is trying so hard but you don't want to see it. She only has me and I'm not leaving her behind."

With that, he jumped down the stairs and ran out, with both Emma and Snow calling out for him. Emma started to follow but David held her back.

"Leave him be, he needs time to cool off. How did you think it was going to go exactly?"

Emma deflated. "It unraveled pretty fast, didn't it? I don't even know what I was thinking."

"As entertaining as this little display was, we are on a schedule here, plane to catch and all that, now would be a good time to start moving," Mr Gold spoke up, tapping his cane on the floor.

"Can you give us a minute here? I already agreed to help you," Emma retorted, rolling her eyes.

"You don't seem to understand that you're the one who owes me. I have been very patient, and frankly I hope for your sake that young Henry is right, and that Regina is indeed changing because if I were her and I heard about what you just tried to do with her child, I would dismember you slowly and enjoy every minute of it. So when you think about it I'm doing you a favour by removing you from the line of fire," Gold argued in a low, dark tone.

Emma found it a bit ironic that he would use that against her, when not that long ago he was encouraging her to take her rightful place as Henry's mother, but she guessed that now that he had what he wanted he could show his true colours.

* * *

Henry ran and ran, not seeing anything, not caring about the weird looks he was getting for being out in the streets in his pyjamas, he just wanted to go home.

He couldn't believe Emma would try to do something like that again, to take him away when his mom needed him the most. He was so mad at her and Snow for acting as if his mom's opinion didn't matter, as if she didn't need to be told about where he was.

He knew it was his fault, that he had rejected Regina for a year, told them she didn't love him and that he didn't want to be part of her life anymore, but he was a kid, a stupid kid who didn't know any better. They were the adults, they should see that he didn't really mean it, that the way she handled his adoption and his origins and lied about the curse didn't erase 10 years of love and care.

He slammed into someone, and when he looked up his whole face illuminated as he recognized the person he wanted to see the most right then.

"Mom!" he exclaimed and embraced her tightly.

She didn't reciprocate though and that seemed strange to Henry. She cupped his cheek to see his face and a strange smile appeared on hers.

"Henry, is it? Yes, you're her boy, aren't you? I must say this is unexpected but you couldn't have timed this better."

Henry paled as he realised that this woman was not his Mom but the woman they were all trying to stop.

"You're Cora," he breathed and she grinned.

"Smart boy, but shouldn't you call me Grandma?"

"If you hurt me, my mom will destroy you, both of them actually," Henry said, trying to pull away from her but she was holding him too tight.

"I have no intention of hurting you, my darling boy," she chuckled. "No, you are a far too precious bargaining chip."

"Please, just let me go to see my mom," Henry begged.

"Oh but we will see your mother, only it will be on my terms," she informed, and then they disappeared in a cloud of dark blue smoke.

* * *

David was starting to think they would never catch a break in this town, Emma had barely been out of the door that Bashful had called to inform them that Hook had some very important revelations to make. The pirate hoped to negotiate his release with this piece of news.

When they had asked why he had waited until then to talk he had replied that he had thought Cora would free him, but since she hadn't he wanted to change allegiance. He had led them back to his boat where they had found who they were told was Anton, the giant who had helped Emma get the compass back in the Enchanted Forest. Only he had lost a few inches in height, and had been terribly unhappy to see David once he had woken up, the deputy Sheriff had the aching jaw to prove it. The shrunken giant had fled then and they hadn't been able to find him yet. He and Snow were just coming back to the apartment for a bite to eat.

He hadn't found a moment to check on Henry, he was surprised not to have heard from Regina, he would have expected some yelling at least, maybe even threats. He dialed her number and she picked up on the third ring.

"Though I find it almost sweet, and if you ever repeat this to anyone I will have to hit you, that you're checking up on me, it's unnecessary," she greeted and David frowned, this was not what he had expected.

"David?" She called out.

"Hmm, yes I'm here, I'm just surprised...Anyway, I wanted to know how Henry is," he fumbled with his words and there was a pause.

"I haven't seen him today, isn't he supposed to be in school?" Regina replied, any teasing intonation having disappeared from her voice, replaced by concern.

David's stomach dropped. "You haven't heard from him at all?" He asked and Snow looked at him, her eyebrows drawing together in a frown.

"David, what's going on?" She demanded, and he took too long to answer for she appeared before him in a cloud of smoke, her phone still clutched in her hand, stumbling and looking around as if she had reacted in an unconscious manner and wasn't sure how she had gotten there. He reached out to her, holding her elbow.

"Where is my son, David?" She asked, gripping his arm.

"I don't know," he admitted and the few hints of colors remaining on her face vanished.

"What happened?" She questioned in a trembling voice.

"There was a misunderstanding this morning between him and Emma and he took off. I'm really sorry, I was certain he was with you," David explained in a low tone.

"A misunderstanding? What could have possibly driven Henry away like that?" Regina insisted, sensing he was withholding something.

He sighed. "Look, Gold came by earlier, he called on a favor Emma owned him. He needed her to help him find someone out of town, and Emma asked Henry if he wanted to join them…"

"She did what?" Regina exclaimed. "What the hell was she thinking? And when was I to be informed? Once she had kidnapped him and taken him past the town line?"

"She wasn't thinking, she admitted it herself. She acted too rashly and he thought she was trying to take him without your approval," David tried to back his daughter up but he realised he was doing a poor job at it when Regina's expression grew even more somber.

"It looks to me that he was right to be worried, and that you were going to let it happen," she growled, then wrenched her arm free of his hold and walked quickly towards the door.

"Regina!" David called after her and ran to catch up with her, not even noticing that Snow was following close behind.

He managed to get in her way outside. "Regina, you know I never would have let Emma take him away without informing you."

"Really? Because you have a strange way to prove it. Now, I have to go and find my son," she retorted, trying to get past him but he wouldn't let her.

"Let me help, please."

"It's been hours without him contacting any of us, don't you get it? _She_ has him, my mother has him, and if anything happens to him, I will never be able to forgive myself for ever putting him in harm's way, and I will never forgive you either," her voice cracked, and once more he reached out to her.

"Regina…" he began, but panicked yells and screams interrupted his attempt.

They turned towards their source and saw several people running in the street, and a giant form moving further away.

"It seems you have _bigger_ problems to deal with," Regina remarked and disappeared before David could utter another word.

He stayed still for a long moment, watching the place where she had just been standing, and then turned towards Snow, whose blank face and clenched fists didn't bode well.

"Once we have dealt with this, you and I are going to talk," she said, and headed off to face the newest crisis.


	6. Cold Hard Truths

_**A/N** : Well, it's been a while! Sorry about that but as usual life took over and before I knew it 4 months had passed. I hope those 9000ish words will make up for it. Your response to the last chapter has been greatly appreciated. To all the guests to whom I couldn't reply thank you so much for your reviews! To everyone who is still following this story, enjoy the ride :D Also a big shoutout to my darling **Manon** aka **Lolymoon** for her beta work. I don't remember if I said this here before but you can come and say Hi either on Tumblr at **thisisamadhouse** or on Twitter at **thisisamadhous3**. _

* * *

**Chapter 6: Cold hard truths**

Cora and Henry appeared in Regina's vault, and while Henry tried to get his bearings back after travelling this way for the first time, Cora was already looking around and exploring the place.

"Mmmmh, so this is where my daughter hides her treasures," she commented, going through the shelves, sweeping the dust gathered there with her index, shaking her head and tutting disapprovingly. "She should be taking better care of those, some are rarities in any world."

"She isn't really using magic anymore, she doesn't need all of this," Henry replied, inching his way towards the stairs slowly while Cora's back was turned.

"Don't even think about it, dear," she warned still looking away from him. "You're not getting out of here unless I let you," she said as she continued to peruse her daughter's collection. "Not really using magic? I don't understand, magic is all around this town, why wouldn't she use it?" she then asked, confused.

"Because I asked her not to," Henry answered, and Cora swirled around, a hard, dangerous expression on her face.

"And why would you do such a thing?" She sneered.

"Magic has only caused trouble, it ruins everything, I don't want my Mom to hurt or be hurt by anyone because of that," Henry defended but Cora would have none of it.

"What do you even know about magic, boy? Who are you to ask anyone to give up a part of themselves, hmm?" she questioned insistently. "For that's what magic is to those who have that gift. Before you are awakened to it, you feel like there is something missing, something vital, you are incomplete, always looking for that piece of the puzzle that would make you so much more than what you are. Once you can wield it, once you have all that power at your fingertips, just waiting to be unleashed, everything clicks into place, everything finally feels right, you realise why you always had the impression that you were different from the rest of the rabble aimlessly going through life. Magic is not just a weapon, a tool to be used and then put away when you don't need it anymore, magic is like blood, like air, being deprived of it means death and suffering, an agony worse than any curse."

Henry was hypnotized by Cora's speech and he swallowed hard when she finished, trying to organize his thoughts. "But she never…" he started before changing course. "She was fine during the Curse!" He exclaimed.

Cora rolled her eyes. "Don't you understand? This town was built by the Curse, by magic, it's all around us, it has always been there. It is what sustained Regina and Rumplestiltskin and all the other magical beings who were swept away," she explained, annoyed with her adoptive grandson for being so slow to understand her point.

"So when I asked Mom to stop using magic…" Henry trailed off.

"You made her go through the most intense pain she has ever suffered," Cora completed for him. "She must love you immensely to have accepted to do this," she seemed disgusted by the idea and Henry felt sick to his stomach.

He had never realised how much it could hurt his mother to stop using magic. When he and David had found her a few weeks prior sick and exhausted at the mansion, he hadn't really made the connection with her attempt to keep her promise to him, but now he got it. She had gone through all of that for him, had even risked her life without ever telling him.

"I wonder what you ever did to warrant such a sacrifice," Cora pondered and Henry hung his head in shame, remembering words like 'you're not my mom' or the multiple times he ran away from her.

A purple cloud of smoke suddenly materialized between them and revealed a Regina shaking with anger. It didn't take her more than two seconds to take in the scene and grab Henry, forcing him to move behind her while she kept her mother in her line of sight.

"Are you alright Henry?" she asked him, bending an arm backwards around him while the other was raised in front of her defensively.

"Yes," he answered in a small voice. "I'm so sorry, Mom," he whispered shakily against her back. Regina craned her neck to look at him for a moment, taken aback, and then turned towards her mother again.

"What did you do to him?" she snarled, but Cora remained calm.

"Nothing dear, I only told him a few truths he had chosen to ignore until now, it's not my fault if he has trouble handling it," she replied in a deceptively soft tone.

"Truths? You have never been able to tell the truth a day in your life so colour me doubtful," Regina snarked back at her, taking a few steps back to put some more distance between her mother and Henry.

"Please my darling, do not react this way. I simply wanted to make sure that your son was aware of how much you love him, and that he was deserving of it," Cora explained in that infuriatingly calm tone that didn't suit her at all. "I am not certain he passes the test."

Regina snorted. "And how would you know? Love is weakness for you but I don't think you would ever be able to recognize it. You don't know anything about my relationship with my son, leave him out of this."

"I can't do that, Regina, not when he has hurt you so badly. I don't need to know much to understand why the so-called Savior is in town or who brought her here, she never would have found this place otherwise. I maintain that love is weakness, just look at what you went through for this boy and what did you get in return?" Cora tried to placate her but Regina would have none of it.

"Nothing that I didn't deserve," she said, shushing Henry when he gripped the back of her coat in protest. "And certainly more than I ever got from you. I already told you that I want nothing to do with you, and kidnapping my son to provoke a meeting won't make me more receptive."

"Regina, I am your mother, that will never change. You can try to have me killed, you can shut me away, send me through portals to any world, nothing will change the fact that I am your mother and I only want what's best for you," Cora pleaded, taking a step forward with a hand raised, attempting to reach her daughter's face. She was stopped by Regina raising a shield between them.

"We have very different definitions of what is best for me and I won't be sucked back into letting you decide it for me again," Regina replied harshly, pushing the shield towards her mother, forcing her to retreat towards the wall while she and Henry crabbed towards the stairs. Cora had placed a spell that allowed Regina to apparate in but not out, and she felt her frustration growing at the idea of being stuck in her own vault.

"It could be so different if you were only willing to give me a chance," her mother tried again but Regina was too fed up.

"I don't know why you are insisting so much but I can only guess that there is something else you want, something you think I can help you with. Sorry to disappoint but it won't happen. I'm going to find out what you're planning, I'm going to stop you, and then I will find a way to lock you up forever, where you can't hurt anyone again," she told Cora, still walking backwards with Henry. "Goodbye Mother," she added as they reached the stone steps and disappeared up without another look.

Cora knew Regina had poofed them away when the shield came down, and she let out a scream of rage and frustration. She had never imagined her daughter would resist her so much and for so long. It was time to find another way to get through to her. She needed to put her plan into motion without Regina's help.

* * *

David entered the loft after Snow and closed the door slowly, resisting the impulse to lean his forehead against it, instead letting out a silent sigh. He would have loved to stall this moment but he knew it was useless, Snow had lost her last thread of patience while dealing with Anton and they were both exhausted after having spent the better part of the afternoon running after the giant. They were going to have that talk whether he liked it or not.

Snow was already in the kitchen, filling a kettle with water and putting it on the stove to heat it up, pulling two mugs out of the cupboard and setting them on the counter with a little more force than was necessary. David winced.

He sat heavily on the couch, watching her wearily prepare their tea, her silence only causing his anticipation of an explosion to grow. Finally, she joined him, placing their mugs on the coffee table and turning to him.

"So, you and Regina? Care to tell me what happened there because I am really confused," she demanded to know without preamble and this time the sigh he let escape was audible.

"It is not what you think," he started.

"There has never been in the history of humanity a conversation containing those words that went well," she cut him off, and he was reminded at probably the worst possible time that Regina had raised this girl, nurture over nature was making an appearance in this case.

"Nothing happened between us," he replied, the lie heavy on his tongue and she must have felt his hesitation because she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Define nothing," she said. "Because I can't help but think back to when she woke up in Gold's shop and the way you two looked at each other then… I thought I was imagining things or reading too much into it but now… after seeing how you act with each other…There is more to it than mere friendship."

David combed his hand through his hair and scrubbed it down his face. "Look, you have to understand that it wasn't an easy time for any of us. We didn't know if you and Emma were alright, if you had even survived your trip through the portal, Regina had given up on her magic and she was going through hell because of it, everyone was looking up to me for guidance. I didn't know who to turn to," he tried to explain but he could see that he was doing a poor job at it.

"So you turned to Regina, the very reason we found ourselves here in the first place, cursed, separated from our daughter, from each other, for all those years?" Snow countered in disbelief, shaking her head, turning away from him, her lips pursed.

"Henry needed her, even if he was struggling with that, he needed her, and despite my grievances against her I couldn't separate them out of spite. Being with them, watching her interact with him, trying so hard to be someone he can look up to again, it made me see her under a different light. I could see what you have always seen Snow, what you wanted me to realise, that under the layers of the Evil Queen, there is this caring, selfless person who would be ready to do anything for the people she loves," David told her, grabbing her hands, forcing her to look at him.

"So you're blaming me for sleeping with her?" Snow exclaimed.

"We didn't sleep together, Snow. It wasn't like that." David shook his head, and then let it fall forward, gathering his thoughts and searching for the right words suddenly seemed easier to do while he wasn't looking at his wife.

"But you were intimate in some way. You touched her, David. She doesn't let people just touch her, only Henry. So, I'm asking again, what happened? And don't insult us by saying nothing," Snow insisted, ripping her hands away from his.

 _No, it definitely wasn't nothing_ , David thought, but the problem was he didn't know what it was either. Regina and he had never talked about that night afterwards, not in a way that mattered, not in a way that could have helped him sort through the mess that was his troubled mind. They had gone through the motions, pretending they hadn't crossed that line, while being all too aware that they had.

David exhaled, gathering his courage, there was no point trying to downplay it anymore. "She was in a bad place after giving up her magic, but going to see Archie did her some good, she was opening herself up more, Henry and her were talking, rebuilding their relationship, and then Whale brought Daniel back from the dead. It was awful, she was so hopeful and the next second she realised she had to kill him. Standing there, holding Henry back, watching her be reunited with the love of her life before having to end his misery, completely unable to help her… You have no idea what that was like," he paused, taking in Snow's horror struck expression before continuing. "When I went to check up on her, she had destroyed everything downstairs and she was just sitting there, Daniel's handprints on her neck, staring into nothing…. We were both in a bad place emotionally and I guess one thing led to another, until we stopped."

Snow swallowed heavily, trying a couple of times to form words before she succeeded. "Before you stopped," she repeated. "Both of you at the same time stopped whatever was going on?" she asked, doubt written all over her face, and once more David couldn't look her in the eyes.

"Not exactly, no," he amended.

"Who stopped first then?" The way she phrased it, her tone, everything told David that she already knew the answer, that she had a pretty clear picture in her mind of the events of that evening.

"Regina did," David replied and Snow inhaled sharply, the admission harder to handle that she had thought.

"If she hadn't, you would have happily went on without a care, wouldn't you?" She asked, lips turned down in disgust, her voice raising with every word.

"You're not being fair, Snow," David said, keeping his tone even and calm.

"Fair? You want to talk about fair? Emma and I were stranded in the middle of a desolated Enchanted Forest, hunted down by Cora, fearing for our lives, while you were here playing house with Regina and Henry," she yelled out, standing up to put some much needed distance between them. "What happened during the Curse with Kathryn is one thing but this… this, you can't blame on not being able to remember. You knew what you were doing, you knew with whom you were doing it, and yet you still went for it. How could you David?"

"There is nothing I can say that will make any of this better," he told her quietly.

"You could try! Do you at least regret what you did? Would you have ever told me if I hadn't put two and two together?" Snow insisted, tears falling along her cheeks.

He shook his head. "Probably not. Regina feared your reaction, she didn't want anyone to find out about it, she didn't want to risk her newly mended relationship with Henry." In retrospect, it probably wasn't the best thing to say in that moment but he was determined to put it all out.

"So you put Regina's wishes above being honest to your own wife? David, do you have feelings for her?" Her voice dropped down considerably, on the verge of breaking, as if she couldn't quite handle letting out the thought any louder.

David straightened up, his jaw dropping, suddenly the words wouldn't come out and he realised he had never actually stopped to ponder it before.

"I… I…" He stammered and then paused, swallowing heavily. He remembered his interactions with Regina ever since Snow and Emma disappeared down Jefferson's hat, how close and protective he had become of her, even standing up against everyone when she was accused of murder, the worry he had felt when she took the sleeping curse in his stead, the relief when Henry was able to wake her up, all culminating to yesterday when he had seen her at her most vulnerable and she didn't push him away.

The realisation hit him hard. "I think I might," he heard himself say, the words had formed on his tongue and were out of his mouth before his brain had fully processed them, but the moment they did he felt something akin to relief, a weight lifting, the tension in his insides unclenching slowly. Finally being able to voice what had been plaguing him for weeks made him feel free and light. It only lasted for the couple of seconds it took him to look back up at his wife though.

Snow had a peculiar expression on her face, a mix of devastation and resignation, as if she had been expecting his answer, only waiting for the confirmation, but the blow still was too much to bear. "Of all the things I imagined happening while we were gone, you falling in love with Regina was never one of them. You killing each other maybe, but not this," she said quietly, the fight drained out of her.

"Snow," David started, not really sure what else he could say but she seemed to sense it and smiled sadly at him.

"Don't bother, there is no point pursuing this tonight. I'm exhausted and I don't think I can handle hearing much more anyway," she admitted, defeated and any other attempt to discuss died on his tongue.

She sighed and went upstairs to Emma's room, the need to put as much distance between them as possible crystal clear.

David stayed where he was, unmoving, pondering what he was supposed to do now, and then his phone buzzed. He welcomed the distraction as his daughter's name appeared on the screen. He listened intently to her retelling of Hook's attack on Mr Gold, that they needed to bring him back to Storybrooke if they wanted to try and save him. She was leaving the unpleasant task of warning Belle to him. He grunted his agreement and ended the call after telling her to be careful. He was about to look through his contacts to find Belle's number when he noticed a missed text… from Regina no less. Just two words: "Home, safe".

* * *

The next day, Regina and Henry walked through the door of the pawn shop after David had called to inform her of Gold's rather dire situation. The exchange had been brief, to the point, and entirely too tense, leaving Regina convinced that something was definitely up with him and she wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was.

She would have wanted to stay in with Henry, making sure he was alright after the events of the previous day. He had clung to her from the moment she had appeared in the vault until well into the night, almost never letting her out of his sight, but she had yet to hear all about what had gone down between Cora and him. He wouldn't talk about it so she decided to give him some time, for now.

As they walked towards the back of the shop, he molded himself even more into her side and she squeezed the shoulder she was holding reassuringly. They stepped through the curtain and were greeted by the sight of Rumpelstiltskin lying on the cot Regina had gotten quite well acquainted with not so long ago, looking rather pale and weak, something she never thought she would be given the privilege to observe. Belle was sitting beside his head, wringing her hands nervously. Snow and Charming were standing on the left, and the amount of space between them, Snow's crossed arms and dark looks, made Regina gulp uneasily. On the right, their offspring was pacing back and forth but seemed to always end up by the side of a young man Regina didn't know.

She remembered David mentioning Gold being on a quest to find someone and requiring Emma's assistance. It appeared they had been successful, mostly anyway.

They all turned towards them and Emma took a step forward in their direction but stopped when Henry only pressed himself closer to Regina, she fleetingly wondered if they would become permanently attached by the hip if this continued for too long.

"Hey kid," Emma greeted awkwardly, unsure in a way Regina had never seen before, or maybe once, when she had brought Henry back from Boston.

Henry only looked at her blankly and Regina sighed, rubbing his arm and she felt the answering squeeze of her coat's belt which Henry wouldn't let go of.

"Miss Swan, we will talk about your attempt at kidnapping later, but before that could you tell me what's going on?" It was phrased like a question, the interrogation mark at the end almost visible but the tone let no doubt that Regina had zero patience and more than a little justified anger to go with.

"Kidnapping?" The stranger questioned, eyebrows raised high, and there was just something about him that Regina couldn't place but that seemed oh so familiar it was uncanny.

"Neal, not now," Emma muttered, glaring at him but it only made him shrug.

Regina watched the exchange curiously, the two knew each other, that much was obvious, but how… _Oh hell no_ , she thought, looking from Emma, to this Neal, to Henry, and finally locking eyes with Rumple, _this could not be happening_. But it was, it was written right there in the depth of her former mentor's gaze, you just had to know how to read it, and she knew, she damn well knew. It was no wonder this man seemed so familiar.

Regina suddenly felt nauseous, she felt betrayed, she finally understood why she was chosen for the job all those years ago, what it was really about, and how even now Rumple was still pulling the strings to make her dance. Blood was pumping in her ears, her body invaded by this rage that had kept her alive for so long. She extracted herself from Henry, gently pushing him towards David, ignoring his protests or the way he still tried to cling to her belt, and surged towards Rumple.

She grabbed him by the chin hosting him up and against the wall behind the cot, paying no attention to Belle's outraged cries or his pained grunts. When the younger woman tried to intervene, Rumple raised his arm to stop her.

"You knew, didn't you? When you found him for me, you knew who he was. He was just a pawn in your game to get your son back, we were all pawns in this little quest of yours," Regina whispered in his face, her tone so low he was the only one who could hear.

"No, I didn't know," Rumple muttered through gritted teeth. "I knew he was hers but that's it."

"He is not hers, he's mine, you hear me, you manipulative little imp? My son. I don't care what you have planned in that twisted mind of yours since you made the connection, nothing will change the fact that he is mine. You won't get him, and you certainly won't use him to get your own son back. Do I make myself clear?" She threatened, her face so close to his their noses were touching.

"Crystal," he replied.

She let him go, he slumped back on the cot like a ragged doll, breathing heavily. Belle immediately started fussing over him, glaring at Regina who glared back. She threw one last disgusted look at Rumple and turned towards the newcomer.

"So you're the reason my life was turned into a living hell. I would say it's a pleasure to meet you but I'm not feeling too benevolent at the moment," Regina addressed him, her nose crinkling, a glint in her eyes, and it must have softened the blow somehow because the man's wary look gave way to a smirk.

"People usually call me Neal," he answered, offering his hand, and she looked at it as you would a foreign, potentially dangerous object for a second before shaking it.

"They didn't always though, did they?" She countered and he nodded, pressing his lips as he looked down at his father for a moment.

"Indeed. I was born Baelfire, though that was a long time ago," he told her. "Given what Emma has told me about this town, I'm guessing you're Regina." There was no judgement in his voice, that was a novel concept for her.

"The one and only, yes. You don't seem too suspicious, though, so many things must have been left untold."

"Well, I don't make a habit of forming an opinion about people only through things I hear, and if what you just said gave me any indication, it is that my father never stopped his tricks, maybe even upped his game and you were unfortunate enough to prove useful to him."

Regina decided that it would be very hard to hate this man. She grinned and leaned towards him slightly. "We'll see how long this lasts in this narrow-minded town."

"You might be surprised," he replied and she hummed, humoring him.

"Mom, what's going on?" Henry called out to her and she crossed the room to him in a couple of long strides. He immediately claimed back his place by her side.

"It appears that Mr Gold found his son and ran into… let me guess, Hook?" Regina told her son, looking from Rumple, to Neal, to Emma, with a perfectly arched eyebrow.

Rumple grunted his answer, locking eyes with her once more. "The damn pirate finally got what he wanted and he had help," he said, the implication leaving no doubt in Regina's mind.

"Cora," she let out and he nodded. "What could she gain from this…" She thought out loud, and then trailed off when something occurred to her, Rumple straightened up when he saw the epiphany glint in her eyes. "She needs you weakened, she needs you to be unable to fight back. I knew she was planning something but I couldn't figure out what it was. This is it, you fighting for your life, your defences low, vulnerable to attack."

'You mean..." her former teacher seemed to catch up on her train of thoughts.

"She wants your dagger, she wants the Dark One's powers," Regina finished, leaving only a stunned silence in the wake of the revelation.

Belle looked from Rumple to Regina, slightly fascinated by the ongoing silent exchange of stares between them, wondering what was being said, probably something along the lines of 'Can I trust you? Will you help?' and 'What do I have to gain from it?'.

"But the poison is supposed to kill him, isn't it? What happens when a Dark One dies without the dagger being used?" Belle intervened, suppressing a shudder at the thought.

"She won't let it come to that, she will deliver the final blow herself, with the dagger. By becoming the Dark One she would be nearly invincible, she could do anything she wished," Regina explained, still focusing on Rumple, still pondering.

"Alright, so we need to find it before her. Where is it?" Emma spoke out and Rumple sneered.

"You really think I'm going to just tell you where I'm hiding the only thing that can completely destroy me? Who do you take me for? I will fetch it myself," he said, trying to heave himself up.

"Don't be ridiculous," Regina snapped. "You can't even stand right now, and even if I would immensely enjoy seeing you accelerating the process, it would be pointless. Stop being stubborn and just tell us."

Rumple looked at her, a bit stunned by her vehemence, and sat back down.

"Also, I need you to stay put so I can work on an antidote," Belle added.

Regina's lips pursed as the younger woman spoke. "Yes, you could do that…"

The derisive way in which she said it made Rumple and Belle bristle.

"What, you think it's a waste of time? You would let me die?" The sorcerer demanded. "Even with what you just found out?" He added, the hint of his usual smirk pulling at his lips.

"Wouldn't you?" Regina countered. "If our positions were reversed, if my death would mean the end of such a dangerous source of power as the Dark One is, would you hesitate?"

The silence that followed was deafening, the others seemed to be following a tennis match, looking from one to the other, waiting.

"That's what I thought," Regina said after a long moment, all emotions suppressed from her voice and her face, a blank mask, a blank gaze, and yet it still felt like a punch in the gut for all present. "You're lucky that the girl who once asked for your help is only agonizing and not completely dead. You're lucky I remember what I owe you, even if you have more than abused your due. Now, where is your dagger?"

"The clock tower," Rumple replied with a defeated sigh.

"That wasn't so hard, was it? Alright, the bookworm can work on an antidote or anything that can slow this down and buy us some time, Miss Swan you stay here and work on building defences around this place. I will bring Henry somewhere safe and go look for the dagger," she announced, seamlessly taking the lead, not leaving any room for arguments, and turned around, her son following.

"You're not planning on going alone, are you?" David spoke up for the first time, Regina had to admit she had almost forgotten he and Snow were there.

"That's exactly what I was planning to do. Why? You object?" She replied, not sure she wanted to get in the middle of whatever was going on between him and Snow.

"Yeah, I object," David confirmed and Snow scoffed, shaking her head. Regina looked at her, raising an eyebrow, and then back at David.

"Well, that's your problem now, isn't it?" She told him and clasped her hand in Henry's, leading him out.

She thought they were in the clear, but just as they reached the door, she heard David's rapidly approaching footsteps.

"Wait, Regina, wait," he called out. "Why do you always insist on doing everything alone?" He lamented, catching up with them.

She just stared at him, hard, and he sighed. "Yeah, okay, I get it, but this time someone is actually offering to help. Maybe it wouldn't be so terrible to accept?" He was giving her what could only be described as a pleading look, bordering on puppy dog eyes, and she huffed impatiently.

"Just don't slow us down," she muttered, wrenching the door open, the little bell ringing annoyingly.

* * *

"Mom? That man in the shop? That's Mr Gold's son, right?" Henry asked, wanting to cut through the tense silence between the adults in the front seats.

"Yes, honey," Regina answered, eyes focusing on the road, royally ignoring the man by her side.

"How come Emma knew him?" Her son continued and Regina swallowed nervously.

"That's something you would have to ask her," she said, clutching the wheel tighter.

"But you know, don't you?" He insisted.

"I guessed, yes."

"So, why won't you just tell me?"

"Henry," Regina sighed. "No matter how I feel about Miss Swan at the moment, I do think it is something she should talk to you about herself, but don't worry I will be there for that, and I will let my opinion be known, loud and clear," she said, ominously.

"Okay," Henry drawled. "But does this mean things are going to change?"

"They might, but only if you want them to. Henry, whatever you find out, whatever happens, no one will force you to do anything you don't want to. I will make sure of that," she affirmed, catching his eyes through the rear-view mirror.

"I know, Mom, I trust you. That's why I won't badger you into telling me," and he dropped it, just like that. Regina thought that it was a good thing the road was deserted because her focus was definitely not on her driving.

"Where are we going anyway?" Henry asked after a moment, causing Regina to blink at the abrupt change of subject.

"To Granny's. I figure two armed wolves should be enough incentive to keep Cora at bay until we find a way to stop her. That and a protective spell should do the trick," she explained, pulling herself together.

Before long, they were parking in front of the dinner and it took surprisingly little time to convince Granny and Ruby to help her, but Regina was certain it had more to do with Henry than her. The few patrons left as soon as they heard that Cora was on the warpath, though a couple of dwarves stuck around, waving around their pickaxes menacingly.

Grumpy's 'We've got him, sister," was probably supposed to be reassuring but Regina's gaze was more fixated on the too short distance between the pickaxe and her son's face.

A protection spell around the diner later and Regina and David were back in the car.

"You really didn't have to come with me, I'm a big girl, I know how…" she started.

"To defend yourself, you've been doing it your whole life, you don't need anyone doing it for you. I know the speech by heart but still I chose to come and support you, so can we just drop it and focus on finding the dagger before your mother?" David cut her off and Regina honestly couldn't remember the last time he had been so short with her.

"Just because there is trouble in paradise doesn't mean you can take it out on me! I'm the one supposed to be mad at you for what happened with Henry, remember?"

"Don't, Regina, please don't," he suddenly sounded very tired and looked uncomfortable. She studied him for a few seconds and blanched.

"Oh," she exhaled. "You told her."

He let out a sound that could have been a humourless laugh but to Regina's ears resembled a bark and she flinched, he noticed and his expression softened.

"You say that as if I had a choice. She is not blind, she realised something was going on and she confronted me. I couldn't lie to her anymore," he said, trying to read her but she was rebuilding her mask too quickly.

"I'm surprised she didn't pounce on me, all claws out earlier," she commented. "Or even let everyone know what a husband stealing whore I really am."

"Don't call yourself that! And you know that's not Snow," he rebutted.

"She is a woman scorned, David. What do you think is going to happen here? That she will stew on this for a bit, make you sleep on the couch and then welcome you back with open arms and rainbow kisses? She may be a lovesick fool, but even that has to be the last straw for her!" Regina ranted and David's lips pursed in irritation.

"Who says that's what I want?" He blurted out.

Regina hit the brakes rather briskly in front of the clock tower. "What do you mean by that?" She asked but he didn't answer, only got out of the car.

"What do you mean by that?" She repeated, louder, her tone harsh, eyes flashing.

"Only that I would like it if people let me figure things out before assuming what my course of action will be," he snapped back.

Regina was bewildered; "What could there possibly be for you to figure out? You're Snow White and Prince Charming, the ultimate true love story that puts all other true loves to shame. I've been fed that bullshit for years, practically gagging each time I set eyes on you two, and now you're saying that this is all it took to tear you apart?"

David crossed the distance between in the blink of an eye, standing so close to her she had to crack her neck up to see his face. "Are you really going to pretend that it meant nothing to you? That the time we spent together means nothing?"

She was speechless, her mouth was hanging open, trying to come up with a form of retort that simply wouldn't pass her lips. "I… I… It's not the point," she managed to stammer and he scoffed.

"Of course not," he huffed and turned away towards the library entrance which seemed to have lost its chains.

Regina followed silently, too stunned to really process what had just happened. They took the elevator up, and then climbed the stairs separating them from the clock, but she already knew they were too late. Cora didn't need to break the chains to enter the place, she had only done it to leave a message, a very clear message 'I'm two steps ahead of you, you better catch up."

"She is taunting us but she only just left. I can still feel the strong presence of her magic," Regina said.

"Yeah, she definitely knows her mind games but maybe we still have a chance to beat her," David concurred.

"We should go back, I will transport us, the car will take too long."

"I thought you wanted to save up your energy?"

"Well if we arrive after she does, it won't be very useful, now will it?" And with that she grabbed his arm and poofed them away, leaving only the trail of smoke behind.

* * *

Back at the shop, the remaining party was left a little stunned at Regina, Henry and David's departure.

"Well that was... interesting," Neal let out slowly, trying to break out the ice.

Emma rolled her eyes at the attempt. "You can say that," she muttered, throwing a look towards her mother who seemed to be internally boiling.

"We should get to work," Belle said hesitantly. "We probably don't have much time," she squeezed Rumple's shoulder gently, giving him a worried look before heading over to her books.

"She's right," Emma concurred. "So what do you have here that could help protect this place from Cora?"

"The list for that is way too extensive for you to handle in the limited amount of time we have. Now, the list of things I have that your amateur hands could be able to operate will be much, much shorter," Rumple snarled.

"You know for a guy on his deathbed, you are awfully insulting to the people trying to keep you alive," the blonde Sheriff snapped back. "Might want to lay off the attitude if you don't want to end up facing the She-Devil on your own."

Rumple exhaled forcefully. "Fine, there is a glass jar on that table in the corner, what's inside should help."

Emma quickly located said table and the seemingly empty jar. "There is nothing in this…" She started but stopped as she heard the jingling sound of something hitting the glass.

"An invisible chalk, if used properly it will draw a barrier, a shield that should prevent anyone from entering," the sorcerer explained.

"We should probably wait for Regina and David to come back then," Emma said, frowning.

"You can start now. It will take a while to be activated," Rumple told her and Emma nodded.

"Alright then, let's do this I guess," and she turned on her heels and walked to the front door.

Neal looked between her father and her, and decided to follow the lady.

Snow was pacing in the background of it all, unable to even think about focusing on helping Belle with her research. Rumple studied her, looking for the cracks. He needed a backup plan and he had a feeling the Princess could be just what he needed.

He waited until he was in her line of sight again before shivering. "Could you give me another blanket? There should be one in that cabinet," he asked her, pointing to an antique piece of furniture.

Snow opened it and right there, right in front of her was a black and white candle that she knew all too well. She took it slowly, looking at it with disgust, holding it with the tips of her fingers as if a simple contact could contaminate her. Her mind was flashing back to a time long ago, caring for her ailing mother, wishing and praying for her recovery, being given the opportunity to heal her but being unable to carry it through.

"Why do you have this?" She demanded shakily.

"Because it's mine, I always thought it could be useful for a rainy day," Rumple grunted, struggling against a wave of pain.

"Yours? How long has it been yours?"

"For a long time but I have been known to lend my possessions for the right price."

Snow's hand closed in a fist around the candle. "Lend it? Who did you lend it to?"

"You know who, deep down you know, you have always known," Rumple replied, giving her a piercing look.

"Why would she do that?"

Rumple shrugged. "To free a most coveted spot."

"To place Regina on the throne? Is that what you're saying? Cora went to all this trouble to stop me from saving my mother to free the place for Regina?"

The man only continued to stare at her and Snow took a step back in horror as it dawned on her. "No, no, no, my mother was sick, she was just sick."

"She was perfectly healthy her whole life and suddenly she caught a deadly, mysterious disease, that only a sacrificing candle given to you by a blue flying insect could heal? Are you really that naive? Did you never make the connection?" Rumple hissed but Snow kept shaking her head in denial. "She killed your mother and she won't stop there. She already tried to kill you and your daughter but you can put an end to it, you know how this works."

Snow took a deep, steadying breath, trying to work around the lump in her throat that threatened to break into sobs. "Let's say I would even consider it, aren't you supposed to whisper the name of the person you intend to sacrifice while standing over them with the candle?"

"Her heart will do."

"Where would I find it?"

"Where can you find hearts in this town?"

Snow looked at him, not really seeing him, just thinking about everything she had had to deal with lately: David's betrayal, Regina's part in it, now learning the truth about her mother's death, the guilt she had carried around for years, struggling with the choice she had made, all of that because of Cora. She was moving without realising it, the impulse too strong to resist, and before she knew it she was out, walking towards the graveyard and Regina's vault.

* * *

Belle, Emma and Neal remained oblivious. The brunette was immersed in her books, letting out a frustrated sigh every now and then when she failed to find anything helpful, while Emma was kneeling down drawing a line on the ground with chalk she couldn't see and feeling more than a little foolish. Neal's smirk certainly didn't help.

"So the Evil Queen has a son, and the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming has magic. Do you think we should send Disney a memo?" He quipped, causing Emma to roll her eyes at him.

"It's more complicated than that," she grumbled.

"Yeah, I noticed the weird vibe going on in there. Maybe you could explain to me what the hell is going on in this town?"

"When we have dealt with this, I will, but believe me we're going to need another setting and probably several strong drinks."

"I can't wait. So, meanwhile, tell me if I've got this right. We are preparing for the arrival of the Evil Queen's mother who is also a powerful sorceress and…" Neal started, trying to organize his thoughts.

"The Queen of Hearts," Emma completed for him and he cocked his head.

"From Alice in Wonderland? Okay," he said, lingering on the last word. "And in order to stop her, the Evil Queen herself is helping Snow White, Prince Charming and their daughter. Yeah, you're right, something strong is going to be necessary."

"For someone who could very well lose his father today, you don't seem really affected," Emma commented. "You barely talked to the guy."

"I know my father, he has plans and then back-up plans, and then backup plans for his backup plans, all of which pierced with some nice loopholes. He will find a way to survive this, he always does," Neal answered bitterly, looking towards the back of the shop.

"What if he doesn't this time?"

"He has spent centuries looking for me, you think he is going to let anyone stop him from trying to get me back now that I'm here? Nah, that's not how this works."

Emma only raised her eyebrows at him. "It must be nice to know that there will always be someone out there looking for you. I spent 28 years trying to find my family, trying to find someone who would give a crap about me for more than two minutes, while all this time and more you were running away from yours. Guess that explains why we never worked out, that among other things."

Emma went back to tracing the line frantically and Neal shut up.

Regina and David reappeared in the shop, making them all jump. The Mayor immediately went to the back of the shop.

"We were too late," David told the others. "She has the dagger, it won't be long now."

"Well it's a good thing I'm nearly done here," Emma said, biting her lips and giving the final touch to the line and a golden wall of energy flew up from the ground. "Let's do the separation as well to be covered. Also it would probably be a good idea if you two found some weapons. Belle, how are you doing?" She threw over her shoulder as she started to frantically trace another line of chalk she still couldn't see.

"I'm finding nothing that can help us. I'm sorry Emma," the young woman looked down at her books as if they had offended her.

"Don't worry, we will find something, isn't it supposed to be a family thing?"

"We need another plan," Regina was telling Rumple, standing before him, arms akimbo.

"We do but I don't see many options here."

"Really? Mister I-am-always-ten-steps-ahead-of-the-game can't think of anything to go against a woman he taught to?"

He suddenly seemed to be in deep thought and Regina caught the expression.

"What is it? What did you just think about?"

"I did teach her and I also remember the first time she outdid me. When she took out her heart."

"Her heart? What do you mean?"

"She took out her heart, said that she had no use for emotions that could prevent her from going through with her plans."

"She took it out and never put it back in? Is that what you're saying?" Regina asked, floored, though it did explain a lot.

"As far as I know, yes."

"And you think it would be enough to stop her?"

"She certainly wouldn't see it coming."

Regina considered him, biting her bottom lip in her contemplation. "What do you get out of it? It wouldn't help you."

"I'm making my peace with that, but at least I'll know that if I'm to die, no else will get the Dark One's powers."

"Since when are you so selfless?"

"I found my son after centuries of search. I know he is alright, I was given the chance to see him one last time. At least it wasn't all for nothing."

Regina let escape a humourless laugh. "You've got a convincing act here, I almost believed you. Unfortunately for me, I don't have time to look for your real motives, so I'll just have to take this option and hope for the best. Where do I find it?"

"You know where."

A loud bang against the front door resounded in the whole shop. "She's here."

"You should go then."

With one last searching look, Regina disappeared.

* * *

"Belle, you should go with him," Emma told the brunette, pointing the back with her thumb. "We'll try to hold her off.

The woman did as she was told and Emma finished drawing the line in front the beads curtain, waiting for the magic to kick in, and then she straightened up, assuming a defensive position. David and Neal imitated her.

"Where are Snow and Regina?" Belle asked Rumple as she looked around the room.

"Out, on a last-ditch attempt to stop Cora," the man replied, taking her hand and pressing a kiss there.

"Together? Isn't that dangerous?"

"We will find out soon enough," he squeezed her hand tighter. "Belle, I wanted to tell you that if this is to be the end for me, I am sorry for everything you had to go through because of me. I'm sorry that loving me caused you so much pain," he told her heartily and she shook her head.

"What are you talking about?"

"You were ostracized by your family, spent years locked away, all because you fell in love with a monster. A beast who couldn't even return your feelings until it was almost too late. You are a hero, Belle, never let anyone tell you otherwise or I will come back to haunt them."

She felt tears falling slowly and she leaned her forehead against his, hanging on and hoping that this wasn't their last conversation.

It took a few minutes for Cora to break through the shield. Once inside, she barely spared David, Neal and their swords a glance, immediately sending them flying through the open door, where they landed harshly on the sidewalk.

She turned her attention to Emma, who was gathering her focus on a spell, any spell, anything that could hinder Cora.

The witch smirked at the intense look of concentration, and laughed at the weak burst of magic thrown her way, brushing it away. "Is this all you have? Pathetic."

Emma tried again and again but Cora diverted all her attempts.

"As amusing as this is, I don't have all day," she said, faking a yawn, sending Emma to join the others. She then collided with the second shield, sighing in frustration. "One would think you were afraid of me Rumple, what with all those protections," she sing songed, getting through the shield quicker this time.

She set her eyes on Belle, standing defiantly in front of Rumple, as if she could stand a chance. "Should I even bother disposing of her, or will you tell her to stand down? This is over, oh Dark One, there is no more tricks for you to pull out of your hat."

She slithered to him, holding his dagger, and he pushed Belle aside with the few strength he had left. Cora's smirk deepened and she raised the weapon above her head, ready to strike. Suddenly, she let out a gasp, the dagger falling from her limp hand, clattering to the ground as she felt a hand invade her rib cage and placing there a beating organ she had been separated from for so long she barely remembered ever having it.

A sensation of warmth filled her and she clutched at her chest, pivoting around to catch her daughter's wide eyes and trembling hand. It was like she was seeing her for the first time, as if the fog was clearing, and all those repressed, buried feelings were crashing back, a giant wave submerging her.

"Regina," she let out breathlessly, a smile, a true smile on her lips.

"Mother?" Regina's wary expression was replaced by a tentative smile, a pull at the corner of her lips she seemed afraid to let blossom.

Cora lifted her hand, taking a step towards her beautiful girl, her strong, amazing daughter. For the first time in a lifetime she felt this motherly love all women were always raving about. Just as she was about to cradle her daughter's cheek, pain invaded her body like never before, debilitating, excruciating pain stealing her breath away, robbing her force, making her knees buckle. She fell and only Regina's arms prevented her to crash on the floor.

"Mother?" She called out and Cora tried to smile at her reassuringly. She knew it was the end, she understood that the poison that was coursing through Rumple was now invading her every cells, destroying everything in its path.

The beast had bested her, but maybe he had also given her the greatest gift, this chance to love her daughter truly. She cupped Regina's cheek tenderly. "This would have been enough. You would have been enough," she murmured, thinking about years spent grabbing for power when she could have been watching Regina grow up into the kind hearted, generous, loving young woman she was destined to be. Whiskey-brown, tear filled eyes were the last thing Cora saw before hers closed forever.

"No, no, no, Mother? Mother!" Regina cried out, shaking the lifeless body desperately, turning towards Rumple for help. She saw him standing up above them, looking down with pity and maybe sadness, but Regina only noticed that he had completely recovered and the dagger was back in his hand. She understood that she had been played, hook, line and sinker and she had fallen like a gullible girl.

"Regina?" David called, joining them, taking in the scene and falling on his knees by her side. "What happened?"

Before any of them could reply, Snow barged in, Emma and Neal on her heels. "Regina, don't…" she started to say but stopped when she saw Cora's body cradled in Regina's arms. "No," she moaned, covering her mouth when she realised what she had caused.

They all understood, and rage, familiar, comfortable, all destructive rage filled Regina. She felt like a snake ready to strike, like a wounded beast trying to bring down her attacker with her. Only David's arms stopped her.

"You did this?" She hissed at Snow, the girl breaking down in front of their eyes. Regina wanted to strangle her, she wanted to thrust her hand in her chest and crush her heart, she wanted her to burn and suffer for taking away from her someone else, she wanted… she was so tired, so very tired. She sagged against David, her mother's head falling on her lap.

David tightened his embrace and looked at Snow. "You should leave," he told her. "I think you have done enough." He didn't know how to deal with this, this wasn't the woman he knew.

Snow didn't seem to understand the words coming out of his mouth, she only saw the lips moving, only saw that he was comforting Regina. Emma, noticing her mother's distress, put her hand on her arm. "Mom, come on, let's get out of here," she said, guiding the shell-shocked woman away.

Regina had shut down, the object of her rage gone she had nothing to focus on, she was like a ragged doll in David's arms. He rose them up, supporting her, Cora's body sliding to the ground. He looked at Rumple. "You will make the necessary arrangements," he growled at him. "And without comments," he added as the older man opened his mouth to retort.

"He will," Belle placated, placing a hand on Rumple's chest. "I will make sure of it."

David and Regina left. He helped her into his truck in a way that reminded him all too well of the time Daniel had been brought back.

They stopped by Granny's to pick up Henry. Apparently Emma had come by right before them to ask him to come back to the loft but he had refused. Seeing his brunette mother completely unresponsive in the front seat was a shock to him but he refrained to ask for details.

Once they were back at the manor, Regina headed upstairs without a word and David and Henry sighed. The man rubbed his grandson's shoulders and steered him towards the kitchen, preparing a snack for them, giving Regina some time to herself. David answered Henry's questions, telling him as gently as possible what happened, trying not to turn him against anyone.

The boy abandoned his dinner towards the end of his retelling and he couldn't stop him from going up to find his mother, not that he would have wanted to.

He found them in Regina's room, the woman curled up at the edge of the right side of the bed, her face turned away towards the wall, Henry plastered against her back, his arms around her, holding her tightly against him as best he could. She was wrecked by silent sobs.

David slid down in the doorway, watching over them but staying out of their space. He lost track of time, waiting until Henry was asleep to bring him back to his own bedroom. He woke up just long enough to ask him: "You will take care of her right?" and David nodded, tucking him in as he let out a "Thank you" before sleep took him away.

He took off his shirt and shoes but kept the rest and went back to the master bedroom. He lied down on the left side, leaving a good amount of space between them.

"I'm here if you need me," he let her know, the only reply a whimper and a heart wrenching sob.

* * *

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